Innocent
by Gewlicious
Summary: Marlene has always been called "cute and naive" and frankly, she's sick of it. rated T for later chapters. skilene. My fist fanfic, so please, PUL-EEZE review and be nice about it. FINALLY UPDATED: Chapter 15's up!
1. Chapter 1

_*waves* Hey guys, G here. I'm sort of new to this site, and as my first story I decided not to go with "The adventures of turnip head" (XD) and instead to write something that makes actual sense like skilene. :3 Please review, because I need tips and help perfecting my writing skills._

_**Disclaimer:** I will now proceed to explain that NO I do not happen to own The penguins of Madagascar *snif* 'cause nick just won't give it to me. (believe me I've tried)-.-_

_~Well, on with the story. Shall we?_

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**Chapter one: Training Session**

"Kick, punch, spin!" Shouted Skipper to his team. It was Monday morning, and already the penguins were up training. As the sun rose and lit up the sky, the penguins practiced roundhouse kicks, horseback stances, back stances, and reverse punches.

"**Skipah**" whined the youngest, "can we possibly stop now? My flippers are hurting, and my feet are sore."

The leader answered with amusement, "Private, as an elite force we must be ready for anything." As if to prove his point, Skipper then sunk into a perfect fighting stance, and preformed a flawless spin crescent kick.

The tallest of the bunch replied tiredly for Private, "Skipper, we understand the circumstances, but as penguins, we also need nutrients to survive." He motioned towards a table covered with fish.

"**Kowalski**" began Skipper, but pondered the situation for a moment, and finally gave in when he heard quite a loud growl coming from Private's belly. The last thing he needed was for the poor penguin to start hallucinating about fish again. "Alright you knuckle-heads" he smiled, "20 minute break, and then we begin training again"

But by then, the penguins had already gathered around the table, and were stuffing fish into their mouths quite gleefully.

"FISH AND CHIPS! MEN, be careful!" warned Skipper, "a single bone lodged into your throat is all it takes to" but it was too late and the 2nd tallest was already coughing and spluttering.

"**RICO**! Spit it out man!" shouted skipper, and Kowalski wrapped his flippers around Rico's stomach and squeezed until the cursed bone had popped out of his mouth fallowed by a skateboard, an anchor, and a whole lot of spit.

"Ewwwww" cringed Private, attempting to prevent himself from hurling.

"Well now." Breathed Skipper, "since we've all lost our appetites, let's get back to training."

The 3 others groaned, but followed their leader's orders and began swiftly mimicking his movements of kung fu.

Just then, a cheerful voice rang out through the HQ. "Hey guys!" shouted a particularly happy otter.

"Men, seize training!" barked Skipper. The penguins immediately stopped what they were doing.

The otter walked in and looked around. She noticed the penguins seemed tense and sweaty, and each one was staring at her. "What's up?" she asked with an arched eyebrow.

"We were just training," Answered Private.

Kowalski slapped him, "shhh!"

"Ow!" Private rubbed his flipper, "what? I was just saying we were practicing our kung fu moves!"

Skipper slapped his forehead with his flipper, and then proceeded to change the subject. "M-**Marlene**!" he stuttered, "You can't just barge in here, when we're in the middle of a classified session!"

Marlene rolled her eyes, "oh, come on Skipper. You're seriously addressing **ME** about barging in unexpected?"

"She got you there sir," Piped up Kowalski.

"No matter," Skipper spoke ignoring Kowalski, and smirked at Marlene. "A training session is no place for someone as naïve as you."

Marlene growled, "Well, I could be just as paranoid and violent as you any day!"

Skipper chuckled, "Oh, wake up and smell the tuna, Marlene." He waddled up closer to her, and was now smirking in her face. "you're too innocent!" he was now so close, that he could clearly see her hazel colored eyes glinting with anger.

Marlene's cheeks turned crimson when she realized just how close they were. "W-well, i-i-I, y-you" but she had lost her train of thought in those two sapphire eyes just moments away from her face.

Skipper stepped back with an amused smile. Marlene finally awoke from her daze, turned and stomped out of HQ.

"I'll show him" she muttered to herself, "but **how**?"

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_how was it?_


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you guys so much for those reviews, they were excellent! =3 Some of you mentioned I was a bit out of character with Marlene, I'm sorry about that and I'll try to fix it. I decided it was about time I stuck the lemurs in this story… so here's a classic "Julien Moment" for all you lemur fans to enjoy._

_~Remember to review ;D_

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**Chapter two: Lemur Time!**

Marlene decided to make her way over to the lemur's habitat. _Julien's stupidity is just the pick me-up i need,_ she thought, _and besides maybe I could talk to Maurice._ She needed the opinion of someone who was intelligent, yet not paranoid. Confident in her decision, Marlene hopped the fence and made her way towards the plastic volcano.

"**Maurice**!" shouted the spoiled lemur king from above. "My statue seems to be missing de muscles which I have!"

"Um… sure, your high and mighty, but you said to make the statue realistic" answered his Advisor, painfully shaping the statue's huge head. "Hehehe," Mort sat next to the statue giggling with glee at Julien.

"I did, didn't i?" the king eyed the statue, "which means you should add de muscles." As if to prove his point, he flexed his arms.

"You see? Dese are da muscles you be missing." Mort awed at the thing twigs the king had for arms. "Dey're beautiful aren't dey?" the king spoke transfixed within the sight of his arm.

"Yea.." nodded Mort happily.

"Dey're almost as handsomest as my great kingly feet!" proclaimed Julien.

"YEA." Cheered Mort, eyeing the king's feet.

"Dey so beautiful! I just want to poke de little piggies," Julien said, poking his toes.

"**YES**! FEEEEEEEEEEET!" squealed Mort, as he lunged for the toes.

"**NO** **MORT**!" shouted the king, desperately trying to shake off the tiny clingy lemur, "do **NOT** Touch de royal FEET!" Julien kicked his foot hard, and Mort was flung right out of the habitat.

"OOOF,"a small flying object landed on Marlene's head. "Mort?" she asked, her head throbbing.

The little lemur turned around to face her and replied in a tiny high-pitched voice, "tis meeeeeee!"

"**Julien**!" shouted Marlene, annoyed.

"Who's dat?" The king turned around and looked down. "Oh it's just you. You silly otter, Come to bask in my glory?"

Marlene clenched her teeth together, and her hands curled into fists. _So much for his stupidity being a pick me-up,_ she thought, and finally answered through gritted teeth, "no…I didn't... actually.."

The king obviously hadn't noticed her annoyance, and replied "well, den. Are you here to see my beautifulness statue?"

The otter sighed, and let her anger seep away. "Actually, I was wondering if I could speak to Maurice for a moment."

Maurice popped his head out from behind the massive statue, but was beaten by Julien who replied, "why have you in need to speak with him? Maurice is finishing up my handsomest statue, aren't you Maurice?"

Maurice replied, "yes, your majesty but-"

"No butts! Unless it's **MY** butt you're talking about…" interrupted Julien.

Marlene sighed, "Julien, I'll cut you a deal. If I babysit Mort for the rest of the day, can I talk to Maurice **PRIVATELY**?" she made sure to emphasize the word 'Privately'.

"Hmm…" pondered the king aloud, "no feet clinging, no big eyes, none of de annoying squeaky-weaky voice…"

Mort looked up in horror at the thought of being separated from Julien's feet for an entire day.

The lemur king looked at Mort's horror-stricken expression, "IT'S a DEAL!"He shouted and shook Marlene's paw. "Maurice," The king addressed his advisor, "you make chitty-chat with the otter for a bit, but then it's back to the making of my handsomest statue."

"Yes, your majesty"

"And don't forget to add de muscles dis time!"

"YES your majesty," Answered Maurice through gritted teeth.

"I will be taking my beautiful beauty nap now, but when I awake…"

"I **KNOW**!" shouted Maurice.

Julien shrugged, and proceeded towards his bouncy house.

"Well now," Maurice got down from the ladder, "what do you want to know?" he asked Marlene.

"Well, I don't know how to put this… but, do you think I'm too innocent?" answered an uncertain Marlene.

Maurice was shocked at the question, and tried to stutter out an answer, "w-well,"

Suddenly, Julian popped out from nowhere. "I can answer dis question silly otter."

Marlene sighed, _why did I ever think he was going to leave us alone?_

The lemur king continued, "of course you're much too innocent. Why, if I had a Mort thrown upon my royal head, I'd throw him to de sharks, or even de piranhas!"

Mort nodded happily "it's true."

"But you!" continued Julien "you take him off, without as much as de scolding!"

"You know he's right," Replied Maurice, "you were furious at Julien, and you just let it go."

Marlene should have been angry with their responses, but deep down she knew what they were saying was true. Even her sayings such as 'try looking for the best in people, 'cause you'll always find it' proved how innocent she was.

Then again, she had done things these lemurs couldn't even dream of doing! She'd been to the sewers once; she even saved Skipper's life! That's when she decided, she needed the opinion of someone who had seen her in an act of bravery. And she had just the right guy in mind…

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_oooohhh... who could it be? XD _

_~Remember to review_


	3. Chapter 3

_Even though there seemed to be a malfunction with the site yesterday, I was able to read some of your reviews ^^Thank you, they were amazing. Those reviews motivated me to actually write TWO chapters XD So you can expect for this to be updated pretty quickly 8D_

_haha… let's see who Marlene is gonna ask… *disappears into the shadows*_

_~ review please ^_^_

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**Chapter Three: Sleep-over!**

_I hope he's still there_, Marlene thought as she made her way towards her habitat. She stepped into her room only to find a miserable-looking Mort. "**Mort**?" she asked in surprise, "what are you doing here?" Then she realized he had a ribbon tied around his neck with a tag. Marlene fingered the tag, and read it aloud:

_Dear silly Otter,_

_Our deal is still on, have fun with Mort!_

_~de handsomest of all lemur kings,_

**Julien**

Marlene sighed and looked at Mort with her paw on her hip. "Guess I have you to take care of now."

Mort fixed her with his large brown eyes, currently quite moist from all his sobbing.

"aw, it's ok Mort." She hugged the little fella, and he instantly clung to her as if she was his mother.

"Weeeeeeeee!" he squealed happily, "we have **sleep-over**!"

"Uhh… Mort" she coughed, "too. Tight… can't breathe…"

Mort instantaneously let go "oops, sorry."

Marlene gasped for air, "Well, then…" _I have to get away from him somehow, if I tell him where I'm going, he'll probably tell Julien, who will announce it to the whole zoo. _

Marlene peeked out her window, and saw the penguins training once again. Since their habitats were so close by, Marlene would frequently look to see what they were doing. It wasn't spying, it was more like observing. After-all, those silly penguins did such unusual things that almost always cheered her up when she was feeling down.

The training was being lead by Skipper of course. She watched his moves closely from her spot; they flowed with such confidence, yet were quicker than lightening. She would never want to get on Skipper's bad side. Not only for physical reasons, but she could never live with herself if he ever hated her. It was his smile and even his smirk that made her day. When he had called her 'cute and naïve' once, all she had wanted to do afterwards was to prove him wrong. _I guess that's what I'm doing now…_ she thought.

She took a last glance at the penguins, especially Skipper. How that certain penguin seemed to read her like a book was beyond her. He was over confident, arrogant sometimes, but yet, she knew he had a sweet side and somehow, she knew he had compassion. Skipper would never let anything happen to his team, like he would never let anything happen to her, She realized, _the last thing I need is for Skipper to find out, and stop me. _She thought determined. She needed to do this alone, to prove to herself that she was more than some cute, naïve, innocent girl.

For her plan to work, that would mean she had to get rid of Mort. "**Mort**," she called sweetly, "would you be a dear and get me some ice-cream?" the artificial sweetness in her tone made her nauseous, but she had to keep going if she was going to convince Mort.

"Why do you need ice-cream?" asked Mort cocking his head in confusion.

"For the…uh… **SLEEP-OVER** of course" stuttered Marlene with a fake smile plastered on her face, "can't have a perfectly good sleep-over without ice-cream!"

"Ohhh… I **LIKE** sleepovers…" and Mort, being the sweet thing he was replied, "Yes, I help you! Mort like helping friends," and his tiny body scurried out the door.

_No time to lose!_ Marlene thought, and quickly filled a bag with a flashlight, a jump rope she managed to collect from the zoo gift shop, and some candy she has scavenged from an old piñata. "Alright Marlene," she told herself, "Here we go."

Marlene pulled the new carpet from beneath her out of the way, to reveal a manhole. Unfortunately, the cover was sealed tightly, and wouldn't budge. Last time she had visited the sewers, Skipper had used Dynamite to explode the lid off, but that was way too loud, and she couldn't afford such a risk to draw the penguins' attention. Besides, she didn't have any dynamite, and she'd have to sneak into the HQ and take it.

No, dynamite wouldn't work, she needed something else… she glanced around her home, and finally her eyes fell upon a bottle of popcorn butter on the counter. She enjoyed eating her popcorn with butter, but she'd have to sacrifice it. Without a moment to lose, she put down her bag, grabbed the butter, and squeezed the oily liquid around and underneath the edges of the manhole lid. Then she grabbed it with her paws, and pulled with all the strength she had.

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Meanwhile, Mort had scurried a few meters from the house, when he finally realized that he had no idea where the soft-serve machine was. Happily, he turned around and scurried back towards the otter habitat. He was about to ask Marlene for directions, when he noticed she was yanking at something. He hid behind a boulder, and watched as the otter lifted up a heavy lid.

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_In the Otter habitat..._

Marlene grunted with frustration, but Little by little, the slippery butter worked, and the lid slid up. With a final grunt, she managed to push the lid to the side, creating a small gap. Finally, she had enough space to squeeze through.

"Yes!" she whispered to herself, celebrating her small victory. _If only Skipper could see me now! Ha! 'cute and naïve'_ she chuckled, but the lifting of the lid was a small obstacle compared to what came next.

Last time she'd been to the sewers, she'd fallen in by accident, and with Skipper. Now she was alone, and she had the choice. _No turning back,_ Marlene she told herself, _I've got to do this._ Very delicately, she threaded one end of the jump rope through the lid, and tied it into a knot. Then she let down the rest of the rope into the dark chasm below. Marlene gulped, but slowly climbed down the rope and descended into pitch-black void.

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_*evil laugh* CLIFHANGER! )D_


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank chu so much for the reviews! Nothing brightens up my day than a good review ^^_

_**In this chapter:** a Moment of Bravery for Mort? Gumdrops? **BORIS**?? You shall see…. *waves arms all around*_

_~please review… it helps me to improve so much ^^_

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**Chapter Four:** **Go, go GATORS!**

Mort squeaked in shock as he watched the otter descend into the hole. _She's crazy!_ He thought, and then he began to wonder if he should notify anyone about the situation. _Maybe she's just getting de ice-cream,_ He thought happily. He waited a few moments for her to return, but she never came back up. _She's __**NOT**__ getting de ice-cream!_ He shrieked. _Maybe she's in trouble! I should tell Julien,_ but then Mort considered how Julien had treated him that day.

~Flashback~

_Hello Mort! Smiled Julien, "want de feet?" He waved his foot out…_

_Mort knew something was up, but still he couldn't resist the attraction, "FEEEEEEEET!" he shrieked, and just when he was going to hug them, Julien lifted his foot out of the way, and Mort crashed into a pet carrier. _

"_no feet…" the tiny lemur sobbed with misery, _

_And Julien replied "don't worry Mort, let's get you fixed up for your sleepover with de silly otter, MAURICE!" _

_And the next thing he knew, Mort was sitting in the otter's habitat with a pathetic pink bow around his neck._

~End of flashback~

_No!_ Decided Mort angrily, _NO TELL JULIEN! I GO SAVE OTTER BY MYSELF! _

Mort hurried towards the edge of the hole and looked down. The darkness was so thick, he couldn't see the bottom. He peeked his head down lower, but the deep void seemed to consume any stray ray of light.

"h-hello?" called Mort shivering with fear; his voice also seemed to be devoured by the void. _M-maybe I get the penguins instead, _he decided, and quickly scurried out the door.

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Meanwhile, Marlene was making her way through the tunnels clutching her flashlight tightly, _ewwwwww…_ she grimaced; the ground was moist with some kind of substance which she refused to look at. _Ok. Marlene, you've done this before._ _Nothing to it_… suddenly, she heard a noise behind her, and spun in shock shining the flashlight on two hungry-looking gators.

"Well, hello delicious," chuckled the first, "what brings a little lady like you to dinner?"

Marlene gulped, but managed to reply nervously, "d-do any of you know w-where Roger is?"

"What do you want with him?" the first gator crawled closer to her, licking his lips and revealing sharp yellow teeth.

"I-i can p-pay you if you tell me w-where he is" stuttered Marlene, her heart was racing, and beads of sweat were already forming on her face.

"We don't want your money," sneered the second gator, "we're actually very hungry"

Marlene took a deep breath and spoke in a steady voice, avoiding eye contact with the first gator's toothy grin. "I have candy, I'll give some to you if you let me go, and tell me where Roger is."

The second gator's face lit up, "c-candy? Drool spilled from his goofy smile, "where?"

"**Boris**!" The first snarled at his brother,

"What? I haven't had candy in **YEARS**!" cried out Boris.

Marlene stuck her paw in her bag, and took out a handful of gumdrops.

"**oooooohhh**" squealed the first gator, "my favorite!" he looked cagily from side to side, "alright!" He whispered harshly, "hand us the candy, and we let you go free."

Marlene threw the candy on the ground and watched as both gators pounced on it. "Mmmmm… so good" one murmured.

"Oh, sugary sweet heaven!" the other cried out, "Roger is just down the tunnel to the left."

"Thank you," Marlene whispered, and hurried away as quickly as her legs could carry her.

As she left the scene, the two gators' voices grew softer and softer, until she could only hear her own footsteps. _I may never eat gumdrops again,_ she shuddered.

She turned to the left, and noticed how the scenery began to change. The tunnel seemed homier. She noticed how there was a rough carpet covering the slimy ground, and magazine pages decorating the walls. She was peering closely at a "find out who your soul mate is" quiz pinned to the wall, when she heard a voice shriek in joy.

"**MARLENE**!"

Marlene smiled, as she recognized her friend Roger. "Roger!" she laughed.

"Come in! Come in! What brings you here to the sewers again? And where's your boyfriend?" the gator asked curiously.

Marlene didn't know if she should have been shocked by the second question, or furious at his assumption, so instead she answered the first one.

"Actually Roger, I came here to ask you a question" she replied trying to disguise the anger in her tone.

Roger led her to a makeshift table, and pulled up a chair for her. He left the room, and came back carrying a steaming kettle. "Tea?"

"No thanks," answered Marlene, but the gator didn't seem to hear her.

"But Skipper isn't here?" the gator asked again, while pouring the liquid into a mug in front of her. "Did you two break up?"

Marlene sighed in annoyance, "Skipper is my friend, not my b-boyfriend" she found it hard to mutter out the word 'boyfriend'.

"Oh," Roger realized, but then his tone changed, as he sat down in a chair across from the otter. "You know he likes you, don't you?"

Marlene felt her cheeks tingle as she blushed beet-red. "n-no he doesn't" she stuttered.

"Yes he does! It's **obvious**!" chuckled Roger, "I saw how he acted around you last time. He was hugging you pretty tightly, and remember when he patted your cheek? 'She's actually pretty nice'" Roger mimicked Skipper with glee.

Marlene sighed as she remembered how her cheek had been tingling for hours after Skipper had patted it. She found herself unconsciously rubbing the same spot, and staring off into space with a goofy grin on her face.

"And you like him…" teased Roger.

Marlene awoke out of her daze in shock, "n-no i-i...**never mind**! That's not why I came here." She snapped back. "Roger, do you think I'm too innocent? And naïve?" she asked as her voice grew quiet.

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_Back in the penguins' HQ…_

The penguins were practicing punching targets. Private had been reflecting on what Skipper had said to Marlene that day, and curiosity got the better of him as he asked Skipper:

"**Skipah**" began Private, holding a target "do you think you were a bit harsh with Marlene?"

"Nonsense Private" the leader replied while punching, "i… told… her… what…she… needed…to…know."

"Yes, but" Kowalski answered from across the room, "she did take it pretty hard."

Skipper stopped punching, "you too Kowalski?"

Rico mumbled something softly to Skipper.

"Alright men," said Skipper with difficulty, "maybe I should a-apologize to her…"

Just when Skipper was about to exit, Mort ran in, wheezing from all the running.

"Spit it out sad-eyes," Skipper snapped; he had no time for this, he needed to apologize to Marlene immediately.

"O-Otter… HOLE…DARKNESS…HELP…**ICECREAM**…" gasped the tiny lemur before fainting.

"What?" Kowalski asked with confusion, but Skipper had only needed the first word to know something was up. His whole body had become cold and clammy, and his blue eyes widened in realization.

"**Marlene**" he uttered.

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_Haha BORIS XD that name makes me laugh, as you can see he is an OC of mine, which you are all welcome to use (as long as you credit me somehow.)I hope I kept everyone in character… we've only seen Roger once, so I didn't know what do with his personality… ^^'_

_~Please review ;D_


	5. Chapter 5

_Wow, I'm glad the last chapter went well, according to the reviews ^^_

_~ARG. I'm not at all happy with the length of this chapter, but I had to cut things out if it was going to work -_-'_

_~ please review and leave opinions of how you think this chapter went. :3_

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**Chapter Five: Tea time with Roger**

Mort awoke surrounded by concerned Penguins. "w-where am i?" he asked groggily.

"**Mort?**" Kowalski waved his flipper in front of the tiny lemur's face, "are you feeling alright? You seem to have fainted."

Mort sat up and looked around, he was in the penguins' HQ, but why? He had no time to reflect, because as soon as he sat up, he came face to face with a crazed Skipper.

"Where's Marlene?" the penguin asked harshly, "what happened?" his eyes were ablaze with worry, and Mort could see drops of sweat on the penguin's forehead.

Mort's eyes widened in terror at Skipper's expression,

"um… Skipah," murmured Private quietly, "I think you're scaring Mort."

Skipper realized he was giving the mouse lemur a heart-attack. "Oh, thank you Private" he muttered, and stepped back to give Mort some room.

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_Meanwhile…_

Roger stared at Marlene. "Why would you want to know that?"

He and Marlene sat at a makeshift table drinking tea.

Marlene felt childish, and before she could answer, Roger cracked a smile.

"Did Skipper perhaps call you innocent?" he questioned,

Marlene sighed, but instead of replying, she found herself staring at the steaming mug of liquid in front of her.

"I knew it!" smiled the gator knowingly, "you DO like him."

Marlene thought she saw something by the window, but concluded it must be her mind playing tricks on her. She turned her attention back to Roger, who still awaited her response with a teasing smile.

Avoiding the chance to answer, Marlene lifted the mug to her lips, and instantly her eyes grew wide in shock. _What IS this? _The 'tea' seemed to have the same viscosity as molasses! She tried to prevent her face from scrunching up in disgust, and purely out of courtesy she took a sip. It was like warm mud running down her throat. She coughed, and spluttered, but tried to keep the smile on her face as she took another gulp. "mmmm…" she managed. "Good tea."

Roger's face shone with pride, "**REALLY?** You like it?"

Marlene strained herself to nod, while her stomach was thinking otherwise.

"It's my grandmother's specialty," Bragged Roger, "I used sewage slime, and toe-jam."

Marlene's eyes grew wide, and her face took on a sickly shade of green.

"You won't believe how hard it is to find good toe-jam these days," continued Roger.

_D-did he just say t-__**TOE-JAM**__? _Marlene forced the foul substance back down her throat, and gasped for air.

"**Marlene**? Are you alright?" Roger cried out.

"I'm…fine…" she choked out, "tea's… just… a… little… **strong**."

When Marlene had finally won over her stomach, she pushed the mug further away from her and proceeded to change the subject before Roger could bring it back to Skipper.

"So Roger… I see you have magazine pages on the walls," she began, "I was looking at one of the quizzes."

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_In the midst of the sewers…_

Boris and his brother were just finishing up the gumdrops, "Mmmm… so good…" Boris said, while licking the floor. "Oh, wow George… what are these things called again?" he asked his brother.

George sighed; if the other gators saw them like this, they'd never be able to live it down! "Come on." He whispered to his brother, "Let's go before someone sees us."

"That won't be necessary," sneered a voice, and a large shadowed figure appeared.

"w-who are y-you?" asked George.

"That doesn't matter. Where did you get those?" the figure pointed to where the gumdrops had been.

"Why should we tell you?"

The figure snarled, and a claw snapped out from the shadow and clutched George's neck tightly. "**Where?**" the voice repeated dripping with venom.

George was shivering with fear, but he managed to choke out a response, "w-we.. don't.. know… some …girl otter… gave it… to us…"

The figure released its grip, "Otter you say?" then it vanished, smiling and revealing two front teeth sharp as needles.

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Marlene lugged her bag as she wandered through the tunnels. She had left Roger's home disappointed with his answers. In fact he had never answered the main question she asked, and when she had attempted to change the subject, it had just made matters worse. She still remembered exactly what his reply was when she had asked about the magazines.

"Ah, I saw you reading the 'soul mate quiz'" the gator had chuckled, "looking for Skipper's name?"

It seemed to Marlene that all Roger was interested in was her and Skipper's relationship. Marlene froze; did she just say she and Skipper had a relationship? _It must be the tea,_ she reassured herself, and kept walking.

Still, she couldn't help but ponder the fact that maybe she and Skipper did have a relationship. _It's just a friendship right?_ She asked herself. But if it was just a friendship, why did she blush whenever he came close to her, and why did her body tingle whenever his slick feathers made contact with her fur?

_Thwang!_

Something pricked Marlene's thigh, and she suddenly felt extremely sleepy. Her eye lids drooped, as her knees gave out and she fell to the ground in unconsciousness. The faint light of her fallen flashlight revealed a venomous dart nestled in the otter's fur.

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_*sigh* my first attempt at suspense XD I'm not at all pleased at how this chapter went, but maybe that's just me ^^' George is also another gator OC seen in the previous chappy. All are welcome to use him as long as you leave some credit to me ;D_

_I have one last thing to say before I leave you today…_

_**TOE-JAM!** _

_(xD)_


	6. Chapter 6

_Thank you guys so much for the reviews ^^ they make me smile :3_

_~Let's see what our friends the Penguins are up to…_

_~Remember to review =3_

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**Chapter Six: Memories Bubbling to the Surface**

After Mort had managed to explain the situation, Skipper had ordered an immediate investigation of Marlene's home.

The Penguins barged into the otter habitat, and searched for clues.

"WAIT FOR **MEEEEEEE**!" cried Mort as he warily came in and collapsed from exhaustion.

Skipper sighed, "alright men. Search the perimeter for any sign of a clue."

"Do you think Mort has any vital information we could use?" questioned Kowalski.

Private poked the mouse lemur's stomach, "um… I-I think he fainted again Skipah."

Before Skipper could answer, Rico let out an excited grunt and pointed to the floor.

"What is it Rico?" asked Private, but when he waddled closer, he slipped on some substance on the floor and fell. "Ow, me poor bottom" he murmured while rubbing his throbbing behind.

"Enough complaining soldier," ordered Skipper, "from what the lemur told us, we know Marlene used the manhole to enter the sewers, but why?" he rubbed under his beak in thought.

"And how?" wondered Kowalski aloud, "we made sure to seal the lid after we left last time."

Skipper nodded, "Affirmative, and Marlene wouldn't have been able to lift it…"

Rico got on all fours and licked the mystery substance; his face changed to a delighted expression, and he mumbled something barely audible.

"Butter?" exclaimed Kowalski.

"Very slippery butter at that," Added a sore Private.

"And look!" cried Kowalski, "there's a trail of it that leads towards the manhole!"

"Boys," announced Skipper smiling, "I think we've solved the mystery."

The penguins gathered around the sewer entrance and sure enough, after a few licks from Rico, concluded that Marlene had used the butter to grease the lid.

"Marlene did this?" questioned Skipper aloud,

"It seems she's more resourceful than we thought" replied Kowalski.

Skipper had never realized that before; it impressed him how quick-witted Marlene was, and it made him feel even guiltier from the way he had treated her. It reminded him of the time when he and Marlene had been to the sewers to investigate a ghostly moan. He cringed when he remembered the face she'd made when he'd called her a 'helpless victim'.

"S-she didn't jump, did she?" stammered Private knocking Skipper out of his daydream.

"That's a negative Private" answered Kowalski as he reached down into the hole, and lifted out a jump rope. "She must have climbed down, look; one end is tied to the lid."

"Well then, we know how we're entering the sewers," Smiled Skipper to Rico, who had already regurgitated a stick of dynamite.

"No Kaboom?" mumbled Rico sadly, and Skipper answered chuckling, "not right now."

One by one the penguins slid down the rope into the sewers.

"Rico, flashlight," Commanded Skipper.

Rico regurgitated a red flashlight and handed it to Skipper, who realized it was dripping with saliva. "Private, hold the flashlight"

Private turned to Kowalski and smiled. Kowalski sighed, and took the flashlight. "Stupid bet" he muttered, as he grimaced.

Private though, smiled with pride at his victory over the older penguin.

His smile didn't last long, because he slipped on some stray butter that had managed to drip from the lid, and landed in the rushing water.

Skipper stared as Private desperately tried to keep his head above the foul water; Private was the worst swimmer out of all of them, and urgently needed his help. But no matter what he tried, Skipper couldn't get himself to move. The position Private was in reminded him of when Marlene had saved him from drowning, and once again a piece of the past washed over his senses.

~Flashback~

_Skipper struggled through the water, but he wasn't used to swimming through such foul liquid. His legs gave out, and he blacked out._

_He felt something grab him, and out of instinct his flippers sprang into a blocking position, but he couldn't find the energy to open his eyes._

_When his blackout finally faded, he awoke to have a worried Marlene leaning over him, her hazel colored eyes filled with concern; or were they tears? And why did her face seem to glow warmly in the faint glow from the flashlight? _

_After spitting up the tainted water, Skipper found himself mumbling something embarrassing to his Savior._

'_Are you my mommy?' he still remembered the idiotic line he had asked her._

_After she had shined the flashlight in his face to awake him, he had realized how vulnerable he was in the current position, and sprang up in shock._

_He refused to believe a mere river otter had saved him for he was much too stubborn to swallow his pride. Skipper hated the feeling of vulnerability, and being so close to Marlene for that humiliating moment, he became overwhelmed with that feeling._

~End of Flashback~

Skipper was shocked out of his flashback when Kowalski yelled something to him. He watched the penguin's beak moved, but he couldn't understand the words coming out.

* * *

_Hmm… Skipper seems quite distant… *giggles* _

_that moment was from the episode "Haunted Habitat" if some of you didn't know… I just decided to write it in Skipper's Pov.. _

_-Will Private be saved? Where's Marlene? All will be revealed… soon…_

_~thanks for the reviews, and keep 'em coming please ^^_


	7. Chapter 7

_ThankyouThankyouThankyou for the reviews ^^_

_oh darn. i was going to wait for at least 5 reviews for chapter six... but.. the temptation was TOO STRONG! *sighs*_

_~mwaaaahaaahaaa.. now for the chapter! XD I'm particularly proud of this one for some reason..._

_~RememberRememberRemember to review! =3_

**

* * *

Chapter Seven: Fallen Monument**

"**Skipper?**" Kowalski shouted his leader's name, but to no avail. Skipper seemed to be in a state of shock. Instead of waiting for the usual 'options' command from his leader, Kowalski decided to take matters into his own flippers.

"Rico!" he yelled, "life ring!"

Rico regurgitated a life ring on cue, and hurled it to private, who managed to grab a hold of it.

With Kowalski's help, Rico began to yank at the rope attached. The work was laborious, but finally Private reached the edge, and Kowalski pulled him up.

"Cheese and crackers, Private!" cried out Skipper, fully awake now, "are you alright?"

_Thwang!_

"ow," yelled private in pain, and he collapsed.

Kowalski leaned over Private in shock, there was a dart sticking out of his rear!

"p-Private?" he tried to awake the young penguin, but Private was knocked out.

"We're under attack men, scatter!" yelled Skipper, "Kowalski, options!"

_Thwang_

"Skipper! I'm down!" shrieked Kowalski, and his body buckled as he face planted into the ground, a dart pinned to the back of his head.

"No, Kowalski," stammered Skipper with frustration, "Rico! Flamethrower!"

_Thwang_

Rico choked, and his voice gurgled as he crumbled towards the ground, a dart stabbed into his throat.

"Rico?" yelled Skipper in disbelief. He was alone now, susceptible to whatever the enemy had in store for him. _Damn it, why did it have to be needles?_

_Thwang thwang thwang_

He dodged a dart as it whizzed past his face, and another as it passed his feet. But Skipper knew the cruel reality that he wouldn't be able to overcome the enemy by himself. Still, he had to try. He had to stay awake for Marlene. He now had no doubt she was in danger, and the thought made his stomach churn in anxiety.

_Thwang thwang thwang_

Skipper felt a needle pierce through his flesh, and immediately his senses were overwhelmed with drowsiness. He could already feel the darkness tugging at his mind, as his eyelids became heavy and impossible to keep open. _NO, I have to stay awake!_ He forced his eyes open, and took a step forward.

_Thwang thwang thwang_

More needles stuck to him, and the desire to collapse became unbearable. Skipper groaned in pain, his body felt as heavy as a boulder, but still he strained himself to go on. He couldn't let Marlene down!

_Thwang thwang thwang_

He fell to his knees, and crawled, desperate for a way to escape the weariness. But every time he moved a limb, his will weakened. The leader stood on all fours frozen in his position from fatigue, every movement of his body resulting in an assault of exhaustion. Sweat poured down his face, at a last attempt to stay awake. _Damn, it…_

_Thwang_

A dart struck him between his partly opened eyes, and the great leader tumbled, like a fallen monument. He lay silently, and watched as the last of his efforts deteriorated before him. A shudder ran through his body as he heard a familiar laugh, and the menacing sound echoed in his mind as he sunk into unconsciousness.

* * *

_*Sniffles* i'm sorry for this depressing chappy... (well, not really.. XD)_

_*wipes eyes*_

_i read "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner once, and he used the line 'Fallen Monument'. it just describes Skipper so well in this chapter..._

_omg *bounces up and down in excitement* please review! :3 i'm actually going to wait for at least 5 reviews this time... and i WILL. NOT. GIVE. IN! 8D_


	8. Chapter 8

_*squee* this story is getting exciting XD ~Thank you muchly for the reviews =3_

_~ I'm sorry if my little request sounded like demand to some of you, and if that chapter seemed a bit short in length. It wouldn't have been so exciting if it had been extended, but I can guarantee the next chapter will be much longer._

_~This chapter was surprisingly hard to write out… in fact I had to cut it into two separate chapters for it to work ^^'_

_~remember to review 8D_

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Captivity**

Marlene watched as the vicious gator circled her. Its head was pointed a few feet from her face, and each of its scales were as razor-sharp as knives. She shivered in fear as the gator turned its head to the side revealing two radiant red eyes. It lips parted to reveal a cruel smile; and its teeth awaited a meal, the blood from the last encounter already dried among the surface. Marlene shuddered and as it advanced towards her, and she noticed its eyes never seemed to blink. Just when it was about to ambush her, Marlene heard a voice echo throughout the room.

It spoke with a warm tone, and Marlene instantly felt safe as it rang through her ears, but who was it?

"Marlene!" the familiarity of the voice hit her hard and she realized who it belonged to. Her face turned white, and all the warmth she had felt simply leaked out of her.

"**Skipper**!" she yelled in fear, "go away!" she desperately tried to scream, but her throat had closed up, and all she managed to do was let out a squeak.

She watched horrified as Skipper appeared behind the monster, capturing its attention. Marlene's heart raced as she realized the penguin had no chance against this creature. the otter's hazel eyes widened in fear, and her heart seemed to stop beating. But she wasn't concerned for her safety anymore, no; her heart clenched in dread for the penguin in front of her.

Marlene's face twisted in pain as she realized what Skipper would try to do; and sure-enough, the penguin charged the beast in fury. He punched the monster, and managed to blind one eye with his foot, but unfortunately when he back flipped out of the way, the creature smacked him hard and his body smashed against the wall. Marlene heard cracking noises, and gaped in horror, at the red blood that stained the wall.

Skipper continued to the fight the beast, obviously losing. Once again his body made impact with the wall, and the monster laughed at the penguin's futile efforts.

"What's black and white and red all over?" it sneered with humor.

the otter watched in terror as the monster bit its teeth into the penguin, and threw its body against the wall. Ripe blood was now oozing quickly from Skipper's wounds, but he still managed to sit up, his flipper covering the open gash in his chest. Skipper was now gasping, and hunched over in a pool of his own blood; his beak split open and eyes locked with Marlene's, desperately trying to communicate to her his last words…

"Marlene!" yelled Skipper gasping in pain, "Run!"

Marlene had never felt so helpless in her life. _Who was she? Just an innocent otter._ She would never be able to save Skipper's life. Tears streamed down her face, and she attempted a scream, but her voice had left her. The gator struck the penguin one last time…

"**Skipper!**" she screamed…

The penguin's corpse lay on the ground, surrounded by an ocean of blood. His eyes were closed, and his expression was tainted in pain.

Marlene cried, and her body shivered in loneliness as the monster turned back to face her.

"It's your fault," the monster spoke menacingly; Marlene's grieving body collapsed upon the ground, and unlike Skipper, her body was surrounded by an ocean of tears.

The salty tang of her guilt stung her eyes as the beast charged at her… it was her fault Skipper was dead. She could have done something to save him, but why didn't she? The miserable otter awaited her end as the beast opened its mouth… _as long as I'm with Skipper…_

---

Marlene awoke in shock, with cold sweat running down her back. Was it all a dream? _What a horrible nightmare._ She sat up, and rubbed her eyes as she took in her surroundings. There was barely enough light to clearly see where she was. She felt the ground, and cringed as her paw ran over a slimy surface. So _I'm still in the sewers…_

Marlene arose still shaken up from her nightmare, and realized she was missing her bag and flashlight. She sauntered around, searching for her missing belongings, when she ran into something hard. _OW!_ She stepped back rubbing her nose, and realized it was a metal bar. _What? _She placed her paws on the bar, and ran them to the left, shocked when she discovered another bar adjacent to the first. She ran her paws to the other side, and discovered yet another bar. The otter's eyes widened as realization struck. She was in a cage! _How did this happen?_ She wondered.

Suddenly the lights turned on and she shut her eyes in pain from the brightness. She re-opened them and discovered her vision had become bleary. When her eyes finally adjusted to the brightness, she understood that the light was coming from a few nightlights hanging from pipes near the ceiling.

Marlene blinked a few times in awe at the lights, then turned her attention back to her captivity and started to plan a way to escape. She searched her cage, but couldn't find one item that would be able to help her.

It was when the otter jumped, trying to reach the ceiling of her cage, that she realized her left thigh was throbbing. She sat down, and inspected her leg closely. Her eyes grew wide as she plucked a dart from her fur.

Marlene recognized it as a tranquilizer dart; like the ones that Alice would use sometimes to calm down the gorillas in the zoo. In fact, it looked exactly like the ones Alice used.

* * *

_Omai. That dream was scarrrrryyy *shivers* think of it as a window to the conflict that's really bothering Marlene… ;D_

_~ha! No relief from the suspense yet! xD_

_~BTW I just had to add in that joke the gator told… did anyone find the answer?_

_~ remember to review ^^_


	9. Chapter 9

_Thank you for the reviews xD I must say some of them have given me ideas…_

_~Sad to say, I will be staying in an internet-less place for a couple of days, so this shall not update and I won't be active around the 22nd-24th… this will give me a whole lot of time to write though…_

_~fortunately I have good news too, I will be landing in America on the 25th, where I will be able to finally view the new PoM episodes, and add new chapters to this xD_

_~this chapter was actually a bit hard to write, and it goes hand-in-hand with the previous one… it also contains a few flashbacks, so enjoy~ :3_

_~and remember to review ^^_

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Nine: Remembrance**

Marlene was examining the dart and had realized that there was a reasonable amount of poison left in it, when she heard footsteps nearing her cage. The silhouette of a large creature emerged from behind her, and when she turned in surprise she realized its face was covered with the shadow of its hood.

"Enjoying your cage?" it cackled, "you'll be staying here for a long time."

"Who are you?" Marlene stammered out angrily, "and what do you want?"

The figure took off its hood to reveal a scarred rat's face. His ears seemed bitten and chewed up due to many fights, and he had scars beneath his angry squinting eyes. He also seemed to be missing a few whiskers on one side of his face.

"Say," he spoke in a condescending voice, "You're kind of Cute to be Skipper's girlfriend."

Marlene blinked in shock at what the rat had just said. _Skipper's __**girlfriend**__? And did he just call me __**CUTE?**_

"I'm not Skipper's g-girlfriend!" she found it hard to mutter the word 'girlfriend' just like she had found it hard to mutter 'boyfriend' to Roger earlier.

"That's not what my spy heard," he chuckled, "that idiotic gator mentioned Skipper a few times."

"Let me out!" yelled Marlene, as she yanked at the bars,

"oooohh... feisty, I like that" answered the rat with a flirty smile.

"Skipper will find out! And rescue me!" Marlene blurted, and immediately covered her mouth with a paw in shock.

"Oh, he'll come alright" continued the rat; "in a cage identical to yours!" he then departed laughing. "See ya later babe,"

Marlene felt sick to her stomach when she heard his last word. _Ewwww… there is __**NO WAY**__ I'm ever going to be his girlfriend! _She cringed at the thought.

But the Rat had said Skipper would join her; she gasped, _Did Skipper fallow me into the Sewers? Is he already captured?_

Marlene felt her stomach flip at the thought of Skipper in a cage… **CAGE**! Why did that word remind her of something? She scratched her head in thought, and finally something occurred to her: The penguins had told her about being in a cage once! Come to think of it, they had been captured in the sewers… _Think Marlene!_

The otter tried to remember the story…

~Flashback~

_Marlene grabbed a crowbar from Rico, and chased Julien in fury. That stupid spoiled lemur had made her almost kill herself over finding him a new crown, and he'd had a spare one all along!_

_The lemur screamed in horror as the otter caught up with him, her eyes glinting red with fury. Finally Marlene stopped; what was she doing? She was going to actually harm someone? She walked back to where the penguins stood in awe, staring at her as she returned the weapon. She noticed Skipper seemed amused and shocked at the same time, or was he just smirking again? It was hard to tell what his expression was with one eye covered by an eye patch._

"_Sorry…" she managed sheepishly, but the penguins still eyed her with beaks wide open._

_Later that night while Skipper was sleeping (he was badly hurt, and extremely tired so he went to bed earlier,) Marlene had asked the other penguins about what had happened. Kowalski had said it was 'classified' but Private had been happy to blurt it all out._

_He said that they had been trapped in a large metal cage, and Skipper'd had to fight a giant mutated sewer-rat for the crown. He had barely survived the battle, and the reason he triumphed, was because he had used the 'corkscrew' move. Marlene blinked. The same corkscrew move he'd used to try to impress her?_

~End of Flashback~

Was this the same sewer rat from before? He seemed to be mutated; nevertheless Marlene worried about Skipper's safety. If he had barely survived before, what would happen? Skipper would have no chance! If they captured him, it'd be her fault. She knew that the only reason Skipper would have entered the sewers, was to rescue her. She felt tears run down her cheeks; _Skipper! Please don't come!_ She prayed silently. The otter sat in the corner of her cage and tried to prevent the tears from coming.

As she sat she couldn't help but reminisce over the last time she and Skipper had been to the Sewers together, and she let out a small giggle as she recalled perfectly well how she had saved his life.

~Flashback~

_She fell into the putrid water, and held her nose as she searched for the penguin. She didn't seem to detect his shape above the surface, which meant he was under the water. She inhaled, and dove beneath the sewage. _

_She saw something struggling through the foggy water, and figured out it was Skipper. Her eyes widened when she realized his eyes were closed. Was he drowning? She reached out and tried to grab him, but his flippers knocked her away as they assumed a blocking position. Marlene wrapped her arm around his waist, and pulled him towards the surface. _

_She laid the penguin on the ground, and placed her head near his chest to listen for a pulse. Tears of joy flowed down her cheeks when he opened his eyes. Skipper had a dreamy expression drawn on his face, and for once there was no sign of paranoia in his eyes. His beak curled into a smile as he murmured something silly to the otter. Marlene didn't even remember what he had said; she only recalled how his eyes seemed to gleam, and how her heart raced when he gave her that smile._

_Of course, after she had shined the flashlight in his face, he'd instantly realized what had happened and assumed his usual paranoia. He didn't even believe she had saved him! But still, through his smug expression, she thought she saw him blush… _

~End of Flashback~

Marlene sniffled at the memory, and wiped her watery eyes with her paws. _There has to be something I can do,_ and she fingered the dart in thought....

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_Meanwhile…_

A crowd of rats carried the bodies of the penguins.

"oh god." One gasped, "this one is **HEAVY**. Why can't we just throw them in the water and let them drown?"

"Shut-up!" yelled another, "The Boss wants them alive." He then chuckled, "for now."

"Speaking of the boss…" piped another, "where the heck is he?"

"He said he had to take care of things with the other prisoner…" one replied.

"I heard he's thinking of making her his queen" snickered another.

"Wait. Isn't she already the penguin's girlfriend?" wondered one out loud.

"What's more desirable than someone else's girl?" the first retorted with a sneer.

"ah, good point.."

* * *

_~The first flashback was from the end of "Crown fools" I always wanted to write that in Marlene's Pov…_

_~The 2nd flashback was again from "Haunted Habitat" except instead of Skipper's Pov, we saw the moment through an otter's eyes.. I must admit that was fun to write xD_

_*gag* the rat's hitting on Marlene? OO'_


	10. Chapter 10

_i'm back in the **USA**! *hugs cheese steak* Did you miss me? xD_

_~The plane ride was actually enjoyable for once, and we got here safe and sound._

_~thanks for all the reviews while i was gone ^^ i decided to treat you guys to an extra-special long chapter xD_

_~i've also seen the new episodes of POM! my opinions are as follows: (in no apparent order)_

-"Otter Gone Wild"

_at first i thought this would be my favorite new episode, but it kind of disappointed me. i'm not such a fan of Julene, and the way the penguins treated her at the end (ignoring her and leaving her in a cage) was just so mean. the only Skilene moment i managed to find in it was near the beginning, but it's tiny._

-"Roger Dodger"

_this maketh me laugh. my favorite parts were at the beginning when Marlene pops in unexpectedly and scares the penguins (classic) and when the penguins sing barber-shop style at the end ^^_

-"Monkey Love"

_this has gotta be my fav out of all of them. It was funny, yet had enough Skilene in it to make me smile. i luv when Marlene reminisces on her dream date. the whole time i was thinking: "OMAIGAWSH. She's planning this with Skipper, isn't she?" 8D and at the end when Skipper asked if talking worked... i was like: "TELL MARLENE! SEE? IT WORKS!" the one thing that did have me peeved throughout this episode was how they were ignoring Marlene's thoughts. Honestly, if they replaced the oysters with bananas and used her idea it would've worked._

-"Skorca"

_OMAIGAWSH. this was the funniest one. i absolutely ADORED it when Private got a sugar-rush from the peanut butter winkies and got all hyper xD_

-"Cat's Cradle"

_This was the 2nd funniest one, my fav part was when Kowalski got shocked and started babling and going crazy, and my other fav part was at the beginning when Skipper mentioned the "Dames" again ;D_

-"Tagged"

_hmm... this was lemur-oriented so it wasn't one of my favorites. Marlene was in it for like 2 seconds. But i did enjoy the part when the lemurs had to push the buttons and they were all the same shade of red xD i also enjoyed when Skipper and Rico were trying to act like normal penguins, and private suggested preening xD that creepy smile Rico had on made my skin crawl._

_(for quotes from the new episodes visit my profile)_

_~ So here we go with the story, this one is in 3 different perspectives ^^ enjoy the longest chapter i've written so far,_

_~and remember to review ^^ they make my day :3 _

**

* * *

Chapter Ten: Temptation**

Marlene awoke from yet another dreamless slumber when she heard the scurry of rats nearing her cage. She hid the dart behind her back, and watched as they carried something in. It seemed to be another cage. Marlene squinted her eyes, and barely saw any movement coming from it.

The tiny rats chuckled cruelly as they set it down next to hers. Marlene sat up and warily neared the cage…

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"k'wolski" shouted Private, "**K'WOLSKI!**"

"Dorisss…" mumbled the snoozing penguin, "mmm…. diameter.."

The tiny penguin frantically tried to awake his friend.

"Confuciussss.." snored Kowalski…

Private decided to try one last time. He franticly shook the drowsy penguin and yelled in his ears "**K'WOLSKI! WAKE UP!**"

Kowalski awoke startled, "THE QUADRATIC FORMULA IS THE OPPOSITE OF B PLUS OR MINUS THE SQUARE-ROOT OF B SQUARED MINUS FOUR…" the penguin blinked a few times, as he realized he wasn't in the middle of a math-test. "P-Private?" he asked, "Where are we?"

"I-I don't know," answered the young penguin.

Kowalski sat up, shook his head a couple of times, and began to pace around the room. He reached his flippers out and felt metal bars in front of him, "hmmm…" he tapped his beak in thought, retreated back to his pacing, and finally he come up with a theory. "It seems we've been trapped in some sort of containment unit," he concluded.

"K'wolski, Skipper's not here. In English please?" replied Private in confusion.

Kowalski sighed and answered plainly, "We're in a cage." Then his expression turned to shock when he fully processed what the young penguin had said. "W-wait. Skipper's not here?"

Private nodded solemnly, "n-neither is Rico" he stammered, "oh dear…"

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Rico awoke in shock. Where was he? He tried to move, and realized his flippers wouldn't budge. _Huh?_ He attempted to regurgitate an object to help him, but his beak wouldn't open. The penguin choked on what seemed to be a flamethrower in his throat, and finally had no choice but to swallow it back down in sorrow. He muffled something angrily, and started to waddle forward.

He kept waddling until he ran into something hard and fell on his back; the object appeared to be a metal bar. Rico swore at the metal bar silently; If only he had a bomb, he'd show that bar whose boss. The penguin sat up and realized in alarm that he was surrounded by metal bars. They all seemed to gaze at him in fascination. Rico started sweating; _So many bars!_ He waddled around in psychotic circles until he fell flat on his beak. _No bomb… _he thought in misery…

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As Marlene advanced towards the cage, she was able to make out the shape of a porcupine leaning against the barrier closest to her. _A porcupine? _The otter gripped the metal bars and stared at the lifeless shape a few inches away. She realized with a sharp intake of air, that it wasn't a porcupine. It was a penguin covered in darts! In fact, its whole back was concealed by them, giving it the appearance of a porcupine.

The penguin was rolled onto its side so Marlene couldn't quite see its face; instead she watched its body rise and fall, and realized in relief that it was only sleeping. Marlene pitied the creature, and decided to rid him of his darts. The otter reached her paw between her bars and began plucking the darts from the penguin's back. Each dart was completely emptied, which meant the poor penguin had absorbed quite a lot of the poison.

When her work was done and the darts were out of the way, Marlene eyed the creature closely. Without the darts veiling his body she was able to clearly view his back. She gazed at it, and admired the penguin's short but brawny figure, and sturdy-looking shoulders. It rolled onto its back and Marlene gasped at the revelation of his familiar face. _**Skipper**?_ She fell to her knees in grief; Skipper was in a cage, because of her. _Why did he follow me? Why couldn't he have left me alone_? She covered her eyes with her paws and sniffled sadly. It was like her nightmares coming true. Skipper was weak and caged and she couldn't bring herself to help him because she knew it was her fault that he was like this. The fresh tears streamed down her cheeks, and her lower lip quivered with gulit.

Skipper mumbled something in his sleep, and her paws retreated to her sides in alarm; His beak was pulled into a content smile, and Marlene couldn't help but awe at the penguin's handsome face. His eyelids were relaxed, and he lacked his usual air of command. Marlene found him adorable when he was sleeping; and it seemed as if the real emotions stirring beneath his usual mask of conceit seemed to break through and leak into his expression.

There was only one thing ruining his flawless appearance, and that was a small dart situated right smack dab in between his closed eyes. Marlene cautiously reached out and tentatively plucked the final dart from his body. The otter couldn't help but smile at his resulting grin; it was the same one he'd had when she'd saved him.

Marlene sat down as close as she could beside Skipper, and watched the penguin with tear-filled eyes and a frivolous smile on her lips; _I_ _must be going crazy_, she thought in desperation; she felt as if the penguin's situation was her fault, but at the same time she felt giddy just being near him. Was it wrong to feel her body tense in excitement when he smiled? Surely it must have been wrong when she felt herself melt whilst he murmured her name. Every limb of her body fizzled with anticipation as she sensed herself leaning closer to him.

The sudden urge to reach out and touch him was unbearable, but she forced her arm back. Yet, the temptation to feel him was too strong, and the otter watched in horror as her paw snaked its way between the bars and stroked his peaceful face. Marlene's eyes widened at her own actions, but she couldn't resist. As soon as her paw made contact, warm tingles rippled through her arms and crackled like tiny sparks throughout her body; igniting her with bliss. She gasped silently as a wave of safety washed over her, rinsing away all her fear and sorrow. How could one penguin make her feel so warm and safe?

Her paw traced his face with content; His feathers were slick, yet had a soft texture, almost like down. Marlene sighed, and rested her head on the bars just inches from Skipper's body. She yawned as her paw repeated its motion; _I just woke up.. I can't seriously be tired_… but another yawn answered her question, and she found peaceful slumber to be quite alluring… _Must be an after-effect from the dart,_ was her last thought before her eyes gently closed and she drifted off to sleep.

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Rico felt his cage being lifted and he was able to catch a glimpse of who was responsible; _Rats?_ Rico despised the little creatures. He could have taken them all in one shot, but as he squirmed he was once again reminded of his restricted situation. The penguin tried again to move his flippers, but his efforts were in vain. _Too tight,_ he never knew such tiny rats could tie knots like that. Rico looked cagily both ways then firmly closed his eyes and began to meditate. It was something he had started to do after the whole 'switching bodies with Roger the alligator-fiasco'.

The penguins had attempted to switch the gentle gator's mind with his in order to scare the rats and win Roger's home back. The plan had begun to work, but they hadn't counted on the strong reaction to the warm-blood to cold-blood transformation. Kowalski had later explained to him that Roger's cold-blood had increased his viciousness and rage. After returning to his own body, Kowalski had recommended that he learn a few ways to control his anger.

It had been one night when he was watching TV with Private, and they had flipped to a yoga channel by accident. Ever since then Rico had been practicing Yoga and meditation. Of course Skipper knew nothing about it; he didn't want his leader to think he was going soft. Besides, Dolly, his girlfriend, liked him better when he was calm. She claimed he was easier to snuggle with.

Rico preferred yoga than mediation, but it was impossible for Rico to practice yoga with his limbs tied up as they were, so instead he settled for the latter. With closed eyes, Rico's breathing steadied and he began to search his mind for a solution to his problem. It was extremely difficult to calm down with his beak clamped shut, and above that, he had tiny rats carrying his cage.

Just as Rico thought he was going to be sick from all the movement, the rats finally set him down. At least his stomach wasn't churning anymore. Rico closed his eyes and tried to meditate again. He pushed aside thoughts of blowing up his cage, for it was now obvious to him that it would be impossible to regurgitate anything. The penguin sighed; Skipper, Private and Kowalski weren't around to help him… or were they? Rico cracked an eye open when he heard a strange familiar sound…

* * *

_ack. that was my first time writing romance.. *shudders* not easy for me to do... i had to revise this like 3 times.._

_~in the next chapter: Capes, Skipper and **MORT**?? maybe.... time shall tell..._

_~ remember remember to review! =3_


	11. Chapter 11

_Thankies so much for the reviews =3 they were lovely. I'm glad some of you shared the same opinions i had on the newest PoM episodes XD_

_~and i'm ecstatic my last chapter gave some of you the tingles xD_

_~ We haven't seen the lemurs in a while… but do not fret! *winkwink* the lemurs are coming… *WARNING: contains incredibly brief flashback..._

_~ and if Skipper seems a bit out of character, don't hesitate to tell me.. I found it unbelievably hard to keep him true to his personality in this chapter… *HINTHINTHINT* ;D_

_~review and I will give you a hug. (well, a virtual one ^^')_

**

* * *

**

**Chapter Eleven: Battle of the Mind **

"So let me get dis straightened…" began king Julien. He was sitting on his bamboo throne happily munching on grapes that Maurice was reluctantly feeding him. "de pesky penguins are in trouble?" he turned his attention towards the tiny mouse lemur in front of him.

Mort hadn't wanted to ask Julien for help, in fact it was the last thing he'd wanted to do after how the king had treated him. Unfortunately he'd had no choice.

~Flashback~

_Mort awoke after he'd passed out for the second time. Unlike the first time he'd fainted, he remembered everything that'd happened, and he searched the habitat for the penguins. He remembered rummaging through Marlene's things, and was hunting around her tea set when suddenly he heard yelling coming from underneath._

"_Private?" he could barely hear Kowalski's voice shrieking, and Mort's eyes Bulged with fear. Da penguins are in trouble, He thought, what should I do? Other than Marlene and the penguins, Mort didn't know anyone else in the zoo except for the lemurs. He was much too timid to ask a Stranger for help._

_Glumly, Mort exited the habitat. But this time he wasn't going to run. I'm not going to faint again, he thought; for he had spotted a lone pair of roller-skates. Mort gave one a push, and hopped in as he rolled along towards the lemur habitat. "WEEEEEEEEEEEEE" he shrilled._

~End Flashback~

"**PLEASE?**" Mort fixed Julien with large puppy-dog eyes,

"No" the lemur king answered plainly.

"But I **LIKE** the penguins.." whimpered the mouse lemur.

"Yes, but if we go to the sewers, I might get de dirt in my handsomest fur!" The king pointed to his fluffy tail, "and I just finished shampooing it!"

"Besides," continued the king munching on a mango, "I'm much too busy with my royal duties to help de flightless birdies."

"What royal duties?" asked Maurice skeptically

"Well, dere's the royal feet scrubbing, den de royal nail polishing (that one always tires me out) and den dere's my-"

"But we could be **HEROES**" chided Mort in his high-pitched tone

"Hm…" smiled Julien in thought, "I do look good in de cape… **MAURICE**! Fetch de capes!"

Maurice left groaning, and came back wearing a red cape and carrying a few other colored ones in his arms.

"Maurice, give to me de red cape!" ordered Julien.

"B-but I'm wearing the red-cape" stammered his advisor in anger. "Your cape is the blue one."

"Yes, but the red one matches my eyes," replied the king, "so gimme."

"But your eyes are yellow" continued a confused Maurice.

"Yes, but yellow and red make orange so shut up a little and give me de cape."

Confused with Julien's logic Maurice handed him the cape.

"On second thought, I'll have the green one" decided the king, "it matches my royal crown"

"How 'bout me?" Mort asked,

"Hmm… dat is a problem, the capes are much too biggish for your puny body" Julien tapped his head in thought, "hmm… **OOH**! An idea has struken me!" he held his finger up in triumph, "**MAURICE**! Bring to me de royal bib!"

Maurice stared at the lemur king with arched eyebrows, "you have a bib??"

"Yes, why do you ask? Of course I have a bib! **DUH!**" answered Julien obviously,

Maurice just gawked.

"What, you think I have de problem? I have no such problem, so go get de bib already **SHEESH!**"

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_In the meantime..._

Skipper scrunched his eyes; there was something peculiarly warm on his face. It felt strangely pleasant, and a new sensation swept through his body; comfort. His eyes opened wide in alarm to find a paw resting peacefully near his beak; the penguin sprang up in shock, and dashed away from it. He gazed as the harmless paw fell gently towards the ground, and abruptly realized his body was aching. Sprinting away from the paw had caused jolts of pain to course in his limbs, and he sat down in soreness. _Oh, my head…_ groaned Skipper, with flippers rubbing his temples.

The penguin blinked his eyes; His vision swam, and he felt like he had gorged on five shrimp martinis. Why was he feeling so weak? He tried to resurrect memories of what had happened, but all he could remember was darts.

"**Kowalski**" he mumbled incoherently, "status report."

But the intellectual penguin didn't reply.

"Kowalski?" Skipper shook his head violently, and his vision cleared; _what the deuce?_

The penguin realized at once he was in a cage; and he scanned his surroundings for his men. Skipper sighed sadly as he concluded that Kowalski, Rico and Private weren't in sight. He was alone…again.

The only object in sight was the chocolate-brown colored paw dangling from another cage next to his. The leader squinted his eyes to get a better look and realized that it was another animal. He felt lightheaded, and he winced as dreadful snoring filled his ears. The snoring was similar to a dying animal, or more suitably a dull chainsaw; scraping his eardrums with pain. He'd heard the snoring before, and he realized in shock who the terrible noise belonged to; _SWEET SCALLOPS! __**MARLENE?**_

Without a second thought, Skipper hurried back towards the sleeping figure until he was just a few inches from her face. He thought about waking her, but she seemed so serene, and he'd never seen such a pretty grin on her lips. Unconsciously His own beak curved into an affectionate smile, but he quickly shook it off. _**PRETTY?**__ What am I thinking? _He shook his head again and tried to clear his thoughts, but suddenly it occurred to him that it had been her paw on his face; and he felt his cheeks heat up at the idea.

Once more the penguin dashed away from the sleeping otter in panic. But why did a harmless otter have such an impact on him? In any case, he was the captain of an elite force, and this was just a sweet, innocent, beautiful – _**BISCUITS AND GRAVY!**__ I'M DOING IT AGAIN!_ Skipper took a deep breath; _come on, she's just an otter;_ he reassured himself, and forced his feet to move as he slowly approached Marlene again. He couldn't stop himself from gazing at her, and He caught a glimpse of what seemed to be a dart gripped in her other paw.

His eyebrow arched and his eyes narrowed as a memory fluttered through his mind. _Darts, wasn't I shot with darts?_ He shuddered at the thought of needles in his feathers, but still he was absolutely positive he had been attacked with them. If-so, where were they? He looked himself over, but not a dart was to be found. He did though, find evidence that the needles had undeniably been there; mainly imprints and sores.

For the first time since he had awakened, Skipper noticed the dozens of entirely rejected darts at his feet. _Someone took out all of my darts…_ his eyes searched for confirmation of another's presence, but once again the only one he sensed was Marlene. _She took out my darts?_ He felt shivers run down his spine at the thought of Marlene being that close to him. The shivers were followed by jerks of pain, immediately reminding him of his soreness. He groaned as his aching body gave way, and he crumpled towards the ground again. He still felt like he had 50 needles stabbing his skin.

_I have to find out who's behind this,_ a voice chided him from the back of his mind, but another voice, significantly stronger, spoke up. _I'm too weak to do anything about it now; even if I figured out who they were I would pose no threat. Maybe I should rest, and gather my strength._ It was very unusual for Skipper to allow himself to relax; ordinarily he would have done anything and everything to stop whoever was behind this instantly. That was the way he was; a penguin who would always jump at the first opportunity to investigate. Skipper told himself he was only staying because he was tired, but internally he knew the true motive was because he couldn't bear to leave Marlene alone. Skipper sighed in defeat as he laid himself near her again. Since when had he become a softy for a mere otter? After-all, this was **Marlene** he was talking about; a naive little otter that was bent in finding the good in everyone. "Cute and naive," he chuckled softly,

Skipper closed his eyes, and tried to drift to sleep, when all of a sudden he felt something warm on his chest. He opened his eyes and realized it was Marlene's paw again. The penguin cautiously glanced at her expression, but she seemed to be deep in slumber. No matter how much his mind screamed to him to move her paw, his flippers stayed limp at his sides. Her paw shifted once more, and Skipper tried to ignore the warm tingles shooting through his body; _Monster trucks, think monster trucks_… but when he heard Marlene sigh in her sleep, it brought on a whole new bushel of immovable feelings that churned in the depths of his stomach.

The tiny tingles running through his body gradually began to grow stronger, and the penguin sighed; he knew at once what emotion he was feeling, and was determined that it wouldn't triumph over him. _Love only causes problems. Isn't that what you always tell your men? _No; he wouldn't let himself stoop to this. _**Fight it!**_ _Love is vulnerability! It's a weakness; don't let it get to you!_ His stubborn mind rebuked, but despite what his brain ordered, his body never responded.

His mind trembled in uncertainty and he felt his body quiver in a lapse of control as a warm sensation pierced through his carefully woven shield of indifference, filling his chest with pleasure. The feeling started to spread throughout the rest of his body like electricity until every searing limb was surging with warmth, and he sighed in satisfaction. _It won't do any harm if I leave her paw there; _He thought distantly, and his beak curled into a smile. The battle had been won, and defeat overwhelmed him as his will surrendered;

_I've been vanquished by an innocent otter._

* * *

_O_O' yea… King Julien has a bib… *cough* and it's not from when he was a baby either…_

_~ ha-HA! Skipper's mind was no match for his feelings! xD_

_~**A Little explaining about the 2****nd**** Part of this chapter:** I wanted to really describe the moment, so I hope I've accomplished that ^^' what was extremely difficult was to grow in depth with his feelings, but still keep Skipper in character. Skipper is always stubborn and intolerant of love, and to get him to realize and accept it was a challenge. So automatically I had to make it a battle for him to realize he was falling for Marlene…of course the wooziness from the tranquilizer darts helped.. 8D_

_~Coming up next: canary birds, Hiccups, and **MORE**…_

_~remember to review plz :3_


	12. Chapter 12

_lawlz, i'm so sorry for the long wait ^^' i was at the shore.. so *cough* yea... _

_~ **VIRTUAL HUGZ FOR ALL!!!** *hughughug*_

_~ =3 i'm glad you guys were pleased with the last chapter and thanks for the reviews ^^ if it made you feel all warm and fuzzy, ***SQUEEEEE*** that was my goal.._

_~ here's another "lengthy chapter" for all to enjoy.._

_~ LOLZ this was SO much fun to write... tell me if you recognize any moments.. *winks*_

_~ please review... you guys motivate me so much :3_

_~XD** BISCUITS AND GRAVY!** and now... on to the story.._

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**Chapter Twelve: Montage**

Mort tied the baby bib around his neck and smiled with glee "I'm a **HERO**" he chirruped, and pranced around with his 'cape' blowing in the wind.

Julien rolled his eyes "yah, sure whatever; you keep dreaming" he retorted under his breath. He turned to Maurice, "ok. We have de capes so let's go! I have to be back before my show starts."

"We don't even have a TV! And king Julien, I don't think Capes are enough. Mort said he heard the penguins yelling like they were being attacked," replied an exasperated Maurice.

"So, we get a little help, dat's all." Answered the king as he made his way towards the kangaroo habitat. "Oh, and just so you know; the penguins will be so filled with de gratitude from me saving dem, that they will give to me deir tv!" he called back smugly while walking.

"Something tells me this is going to end badly" muttered Maurice as he followed the ring-tailed lemur…

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_meanwhile..._

The group of rats settled the cage down next to two others.

"Heh… look at that!" one snickered as he pointed to a cage,

"Awww… it's kind of cute-" one murmured, and was instantly smacked in the face by another.

"Wait till the boss hears this" smiled the other chuckling.

The rats left the room frantically trying to stifle their laughter.

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_Somewhere in the room..._

"Oh dear, my head is spinning" mumbled Private dizzily, "did somebody move our cage?"

"Rats. I should have known it was them. Filthy creatures" muttered Kowalski to himself.

Private stumbled about in a woozy state and finally fell on his butt. "**YOW!**" he instantly sprang up, and plucked a dart from his rear "what's this?"

"It looks like a dart of some kind," answered Kowalski, "may i?"

Private nodded and handed the older penguin his finding.

"Hm… from its structure I'd say it was a tranquilizer dart… and it looks exactly like the ones used in the zoo! How bizarre…" the intellectual penguin trailed off,

Private rubbed his rear oblivious to what Kowalski had just said, "why is it always on me bum?" he grumbled.

"I wonder if there are any others around…" contemplated Kowalski, and he turned in thought.

"**K'OWALSKI!**" cried out Private, "there's another one pinned to the back of your head!"

"Wha?" the intellectual penguin rubbed the back of his head, and plucked another dart from his flesh. "Now how did that get there…"

"D-do you t-think Skipah and Rico are alright?" Private interrupted his thoughts,

"i-I don't know" Kowalski answered, it pained him not to know the answer to Private's question, and he turned his back to Private in order to hide his discouraged expression.

"**HIC **oh, dear…" hiccupped Private, "I've **HIC **got the **HIC** –ups. **HIC** k-K'wolski?"

But Kowalski wasn't listening; there were two other cages adjacent to their own, and he was peering closely at the shapes inside them. He instantly identified the sleeping figures; _**Oh sweet mama,** __**SKIPPER?**__ a-and… __**MARLENE? **_His eyes widened in alarm, and his beak hung open.

It wasn't the fact that he recognized them that astonished him, it was more the position they were in. Marlene had her arms through the barrier; one paw on Skipper's face, and the other wrapped around him; and Skipper himself had both his flippers wrapped securely around her waist. In fact, they would have been snuggling if it wasn't for the barrier that was keeping them apart.

Kowalski was shocked; Skipper was allowing Marlene to do this? And he appeared to be enjoying it seeing that his face mirrored Marlene's content smile.

"K'wolski, **HIC** what are **HIC** you **HIC** looking at?" questioned Private as he timidly approached the older penguin; Kowalski seemed to be fixated on something.

Kowalski awoke from his revere in shock; _**Private!**_ He turned his back to Skipper and Marlene; the position they were in wasn't the most appropriate pose.. _if Private sees this.._

"err… Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Smiled Kowalski, but Private could see the older penguin's eyes seemed edgy and he was sweating profusely.

"**HIC** what's that **HIC** behind you?" Private pushed the nervous Kowalski out of the way and gasped at what he saw. "i-is t-that S-**Skipah??** A-and M-**Marlene?** **WHAT ARE T-THEY D-DO-**"

Kowalski hastily covered the younger penguin's eyes, and turned him away from the spectacle.

"K'wolski I don't feel so great" faltered Private as he wobbled side to side; his face was bleached white, and the poor penguin was on the brink of fainting.

Kowalski caught him just as the young penguin was going to pass out; "well at least your hiccups are gone" smiled Kowalski weakly.

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_Some place near..._

Rico staggered around his cage. He could have sworn he heard Private cry: "oh, dear." Was Private here? And Kowalski? And Skipper? The penguin's outlook brightened when he heard a very familiar voice. _Kowalski?_ Rico ran up to the wall of his cage, and scanned the room for his friends. Suddenly his eyes landed on a newly placed cage across the room. He gasped as recognized the two shapes inside it; _**KOWALSKI!**_ _**PRIVATE!**_ His stomach flipped with joy. He tried to gain their attention by shouting, but all he could manage were tiny muffled grunts. How could he convince them to see he was here when they were so far away? All of a sudden an idea struck him; and he began to pound is body against the cage.

_BANG!_

_Oww…_ His head was throbbing, but it didn't seem to attract the attention of his comrades.

_BANG!_

Now Rico's beak was sore, and he had a piercing headache.. but **WAIT!** Kowalski was turning around… _Maybe one more try…_

_BANG!_

Rico blinked; were those canary birds flying around his head? He blinked again and discovered his vision was speckled with colored dots; _pretty colors…_he wobbled about, with a ridiculous smile on his face. **Wait!** Kowalski saw him! He was waving, _Night- night Kowalski_…

_FLOP!_

Rico collapsed.

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"**RICO!**" shouted Kowalski, but to no avail; Rico was out cold. _Well this is exceptionally inconvenient_. He scowled at Private's motionless body at his feet, and from there his vision climbed until he was glancing at Skipper who was all the while still clinging to Marlene in their compromising position.

It wasn't possible to awake Rico due to the expanse of space between their two cages; which meant he'd have to awake either Private or Skipper. Just when Kowalski was about to shake Private awake, he thought better of it. _The likelihood of Private staying awake is low, for the reason that if he sees Skipper's position again (which is a definite possibility) he'll pass out once more. I have a better chance at awaking Skipper and later waking Private._ "Yes, I'll wake Skipper first!" he proudly concurred to no one in particular.

"**Skipper!**" Kowalski yelled; usually his leader was an extraordinarily light sleeper, so it should be effortless to awake him. He was astonished when Skipper didn't even open his eyes. _**SWEET SCIENCE**; he's really asleep..._ he thought frustrated; one way or another he was going to awake his dormant leader...

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Skipper stood in the HQ with his men, working on Kowalski's new invention. His eyebrows arched at the glowing gadget. _**This**__ is what took Kowalski days to make?_ "Fine work Kowalski," he smiled, "what is it?"

"i have no idea" replied Kowalski proudly,

"well, let's just keep it under wraps until you d-"

"Hey guys-**guys**!" called a familiar voice,

Skipper recognized her voice at once, and rapidly shouted orders to his men to hide the newest device.

Marlene strolled in beaming; her dazzling hazel eyes practically brimming over with excitement.

"Guess what?" she sung happily,

It took Skipper a second to realize he was still gazing at her eyes and he mentally slapped himself. _**What in the name of canned yams are you doing?**_ Fortunately for him, Private interrupted the otter before Skipper was caught.

"Quiet Marlene," warned Private "we're testing Kowalski's new invention."

"**Private!**" scolded Skipper, slapping his forehead.

"Top secret" whispered Private to Marlene, whose excitement had simply vanished from her face and was replaced with an expression of annoyance. "Yea," Skipper couldn't help but smile as she placed her paw sassily on her hip, "'cause you're doing a **REAL** good job at hiding it."

_What did she mean by that?_ Skipper's smile vanished and he glanced up; sure-enough Kowalski's new contraption was levitating in plain sight.

"i'll have you know" he began while pulling the invention down, "we're close to an exciting breakthrough!"

Marlene's eyes brightened once again at the word 'exciting'. "You wanna hear exciting? Try this on" she grinned, "guess who's getting a new roommate? Uh-huh, that's right, it's me!" She danced around eagerly, and Skipper couldn't help but smile again as she whirled about.

He cocked his head and gazed with wonder at the twirling otter; and in a surprising twist of events she snatched his flippers and started dancing with him! He flinched when he felt warm tingles ripple through his body at her touch, but couldn't bring himself to escape her clutches. She spun him around until she finally let go, and Skipper wobbled around his mind askew.

_SWITCH_

"**SEWER MONSTER, RETREAT!**" screamed Skipper backing away; just when the monster was about to trample him, two legs shot down and hooked beneath his flippers. The legs swung him up until his beak was nearly touching a pipe, and finally let him go once the monster had passed beneath him. Skipper landed on the tape-recorder, and realized in shock that it had been Marlene who'd saved him. Even as the monster dove in the water, all the penguin could think was: _Marlene did that?_

Finally Skipper came to his senses, "it's some kind of monster from the darkest abyss." He muttered to the otter next to him.

The Monster roared and Marlene's arms wrapped around Skipper in fear. Automatically his flippers returned the gesture; hanging on to her for dear life. He flinched as the otter's warm body rubbed against his chest, and his stomach churned with excited tingles, while a sweet aroma filled his nostrils. Skipper's eyes widened when she flattened against him, and it sent his pulse racing when he felt her heart beat rapidly against his body. Hesitantly, he inhaled deeply trying to steady himself, but later realized in dread the mistake he had made. The otter's mesmerizing fragrance filled his lungs, and he felt his flippers go limp around her shoulders. He was infatuated by her scent; she smelled like violets and honey, with a slight hint of the sea. Skipper's eyes widened in alarm as the scent wafted around his body, rendering him useless.

Marlene liberated him shortly, and after reluctantly releasing her, Skipper sank into a fighting stance preparing for the fight with the monster. "Back up, i'm going to need a perimeter" he warned.. But essentially he just wanted to distance himself from her hypnotizing perfume...

_SWITCH_

Back in the HQ Skipper's mind had finally stopped spinning and he smirked at Marlene who was busy babbling on about how perfect having a roommate was going to be. "Too perfect, how can you be sure this new roommate isn't some sort of spy?" he asked.

"Come on; a **spy**?" she turned to him with eyebrows raised.

"Sent here to steal the plans for Kowalski's new invention" he continued confidently.

She rolled her eyes, but managed to give him a genuine smile, "here's a little something that I try to keep close to my heart: Try looking for the best in people, 'cause you'll always find it, huh?"

It was adorable how she believed there was kindness in everybody; and it was one of the things he loved about her the most. Skipper's beak nearly curled into a smile, but he caught himself immediately and managed to shape it into a smirk.

"That's cute and naïve Marlene," he replied eyeing her directly, "Manfreetie and Johnson were cute and naive.. well, Manfreetie **was** the cute one...'till the lil Nairobi surprise part!"

Marlene kept the smile on her lips and replied lightly, "Friendliness beats Paranoia!"

Skipper scowled when she playfully poked his beak, and tried his hardest to prevent his cheeks from turning crimson.

"**BOOP**." Her face beamed just a few inches from his own.

"Still cute, still naïve" he retorted with a smirk, flippers crossed.

_SWITCH_

Julien smiled at Skipper as they bounced, "h-hello Silly penguin... what are you doing on my bouncy?"

"Because it's fun day! **and**.. Certain sea mammals think i'm no fun!" the penguin replied flipping in the air, _wait, why __**AM**__ I doing this?_ He asked himself, _for Marlene?_ He glanced at the otter below whose face was shaped into an astonished expression, and smiled; _I've got to prove her wrong…_

"OH-hey Marlene!" he called, "watch this fun move! i call it **'Corkscrew'**"

_SWITCH_

Marlene grabbed Skipper with strength he never knew she possessed, and yanked him up, until his beak was barely touching her face. "She used me." She growled, "as a **TISSUE**." Her eyes sparked with red, and her usually friendly smile was pulled into a fang-bearing frown. Skipper's eyes widened; he'd never seen Marlene so angry before. If it wasn't for the death hold she had on him, he'd actually be relishing this moment.

_SWITCH_

"Marlene, please don't bring all your sappy emotion into this;" Skipper frowned at the otter in annoyance," this is **LOVE!**"

Marlene returned his expression with a glare, but Skipper sensed hurt in her deep hazel eyes.

_SWITCH_

_Marlene…. _

_SWITCH_

"Skipper?" Marlene's voice filled his senses.. "**SKIPPER WAKE UP!**" the voice suddenly changed into a lower tone, and he recognized it instantly,

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"**KOWALSKI??**" Skipper awoke and found himself in Marlene's arms_. _His entire face turned red in embarrassment; _What the-_ he realized in alarm that his own flippers were wound tightly around her waist. Whenever she moved, tingles surged through his body. Skipper tried to ignore the warm feelings enriching him, and struggled to free himself from Marlene's loving Grip. It was no use. He'd have to wake her.

* * *

_~ XD *whistles* Skipper; do you need some time ALOOOOOOONE? *winkwinkwink* 8D_

_~have you realized why this is called "Montage" yet? =D ('twas a "Montage" of skilene...)_

_~hoo boy... those quotes took a LONG time to track down... if you haven't guessed already, those Skilene moments from Skipper's dream were from various PoM episodes. 8D_

_here's the list: (in order of appearance)_

_- "Roomies"_

_- "Haunted Habitat"_

_- "Roomies"_

_- "Crown fools"_

_- "Roomies"_

_- "Monkey Love"_

_~obviously tracking those down was another reason this chapter took so long ^^' _

_~ **HIC **oh, darn **HIC** i've **HIC** seemed to **HIC** have captured **HIC** Private's **HIC** hiccups... -.-_

_~ **what will the lemurs do? what will Skipper do?** **and when will Rico and Private awake?** *evil laugh* we'll find out soon... )D_

_~ Review and win a **COOKIE!** 83_

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	13. Chapter 13

_i am SO sorry about the wait.. only one word can explain the horrible tortures i've gone through: **SCHOOL** (blech.) i have so much hw it's not even funny! D8 So my newest chapters might not be as long as before.. blame the educational system! XD_

_~i also hit a sort of "speed bump" within my story *groans* but i'm not giving up!_

_~ Thank 'yall for the awsome reviews! i've finally hit **100**!!! *SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE* and in celebration of my hundredth Review, i've chosen to answer a few... (and DUN THINK I FORGOT ABOUT THE PROMISED COOKIES! XD)_

_-**MidnightWraith:** hah, thanks ^^ you really like the name? 8D *showers u with cookies*_

_-**ponytail30527:** lol me too, which is why i wrote it out MY way *smiles* *thows cookies at you*_

_-**Mattie Scary:** YUSH COOKEZ!!! *chucks them at you* really? Maybe i should add some "Otter Gone Wild" to the montage.. x3 i know... poor private..._

_-**Porsche101:** *SQUEEEE* thank you, thank you so much for the reviews! 8D chu is awsome! lol *hands u a cookie*_

_-**Peaches2217:** lmao... i know.. i should just force them to fall in love ya know? xD *digs in bag for cookies* er.. lets see.. chocolate chips... aHA! FOUND 'EM! *hands you a chocolate chip cookie*_

_-**AngelOli16:** ZOMG. thanks! xD i'm glad you got de tingles =3 and OF COURSE YOU SILLY HUMAN! *chucks cookies at you* as long as you dun vomit on meh... *wink*_

_-**monsy 38:** thanks for the fantastic review! xD OHNOES! u have the hiccups? o-O COOKIES WILL CURE THEM! XD *launches cookies at u*_

_-**Mr. Average:** lol you'll find out soon... and thanks ^^ *hands u a cookie* [This message will now self-destruct in 3....2.....1..]_

_-**dragongirlj:** muchas gracias para el review... y SI! SI! voy a escribir mucho skilene... te gustaria un dulce? *hands you cookie* i SWEAR it's not a bomb this time XD_

_-**JV's Jack:** *sigh* i know isn't it lovely? it's like a blast from the past =D lol.. poor Rico.. *chucks a cookie at you*_

_- **Bob:** thanks for my hundreth review... but i have no idea what you wrote.. O_O' errmmm... cookie? *holds basket of cookies*_

_~and nao, before i continue the tale... letme just write up a few oppinions i had on the newest PoM episodes:_

_- "What Goes Around"_

_this has gotta be my fav "Rico oriented" episode. That song that he sung to his doll was adorable.. and the way the universe kept smiting him made me laugh. XD I'm also glad officer X came back, and even gladder that he got arrested 8D It seems that Officer X is the first actual 'villain" of the series.._

_-"Mask of the Raccoon"_

_This episode was so predictable... i knew at once he was faking when he said he robbed the rich and gave to the poor.. argg... Archy is a back-stabbing phony and his accent was a hoax! D8 but i luved when private thought he was a hero... poor private. *groans* i was upset with the ammount of time marlene had in this episode.. and to talk about what? BEACHBALLS. O.O where's de skilene? D=_

_~kay, now that THAT's over... please enjoy the story.._

_-and dun forget to review *wink* =3_

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen: Distractions**

" **CRIKEY!** What do you think you blokes are doing in me territory?" sneered the Australian kangaroo as he advanced towards the trembling lemurs..

"King Julien," whispered Maurice, "I really think we should leave.."

"Silly Maurice," replied lemur king reassuringly, "we will not leave until de kangaroo has pledged himself to serve de royal me."

"Ya haven't come to steal me hay to make macramé again, have ya?" continued the kangaroo, gritting his teeth…

King Julien managed to smile, even though streams of sweat were pouring down his neck. "Well, stealing is such de harsh word.." he chuckled nervously,

The furious kangaroo obviously hadn't forgotten about the time Julien used Mort to bully him in order to steal his tasty hay. Julien gulped as the kangaroo's paws clenched into fists. "-j-Joey, Joey, now l-let's not be t-to h-hasty…" he frantically tried to calm the kangaroo down..

Joey growled, and lifted Julien up by the neck, "**Maurice**!" squeaked the king, "**do something!**"

"Why me?" exclaimed his advisor, "it was** YOUR** idea to come here.." he added with arms crossed.

"**do something**!" repeated the king, his voice now scarcely a squeal.

Maurice savored the moment as Julien's face changed from blue to purple due to the decreasing oxygen in the lemur king's lungs.

"**KING JULIEN!**" shrieked Mort in horror,

And finally Maurice gave in with a sigh. "Joey, King Julien would like your help on a rescue mission to save the penguins."

Joey's grip on the lemur king's neck loosened; "what's in it for me 'mate?" he asked.

Maurice hadn't been expecting that, "err… King Julien knows.."

Joey glared at the frenzied lemur in his paw with fury, but finally released him.

Julien's hands flew to his neck, where he rubbed the spot that had previously been gripped by the kangaroo's paw.

After allowing the annoying king a few gasps of breath, Joey repeated his question directing it at Julien this time. "What's in it for me?"

"Maurice, we could pay him again, right?" whispered Julien as he slowly backed away from the kangaroo,

"Are you **nuts**? We gave him our last macadamia nuts when we had that 'Skorca'" issue." Maurice answered with air quotes.

Unfortunately Joey overheard. "**What?** Ya think I'm a help a couple of bloody dipsticks like you without a price? Why I oughtta…"

Julien hid behind Maurice, "Maurice! Look what you did now! You've angered our **BIG** **STRONG** hippity-hoppity friend.."

"I oughtta wallop ya.." continued the kangaroo, closing distance with the lemurs.

"oh, no j-j-Joey. We do not 'wallop' our kings here." Interrupted Julien nervously,

The kangaroo let out a growl as a response.

"not de face.." murmured the lemur king pleading..

The lemurs cringed as Joey cracked his knuckles, moments away from their quivering bodies,

"G'day 'mate.."

-------------------------------------------------------

_In the mean time... somewhere in the sewers.._

"Marlene?" whispered Skipper, but the otter's grip never loosened. Instead, her lips cracked into a warm smile, and she sighed blissfully. Skipper's body erupted in an explosion of tingles, making his feathers stand on end. He didn't even notice his feathers prickling; he was too besotted by the beautiful otter curled up in his arms. _I wonder what she's dreaming about..._ he thought abstractedly, His blue eyes widened in horror at the turn his thoughts were taking. _FOR THE LOVE OF PICKLED SCHNOUZERS! -What is this otter doing to me? _

No mammal had ever caused him so much frustration, not even Julien with his ear-splitting boom box! Did Marlene have any idea what she was capable of? He surely didn't, nor did he want to. Afterall, she was the reason he was stuck in a cage, and for the absence of his men. Skipper found himself scowling at the grinning otter. He would have been out of there searching for his teammates if it hadn't been for her. Heck, they'd probably defeated the enemy, and he would have been back in the HQ stirring his coffee with a sardine, while Rico and Private watched the television, and Kowalski sketched up blueprints for a new invention. He smiled at the normality of the thought.

But instead he had risked his life, along with the ones of his team mates. And for what? A few minutes of warmth? Of pleasure? How could he have been so clueless, so immature, so selfish, so childish? It seemed that whenever he was near her he made stupid and rash decisions. He just couldn't think straight with the otter near him. She was such a… such a **distraction**!

And in spite of everything, it was his little remark that had started the whole problem. _You're too innocent, You're too innocent.._ The phrase echoed in his mind. Why had he said that to her? Obviously it had blinded her with fury as to do something as juvenile as running to the sewers.

He realized with a pang of guilt that Marlene wasn't the one to blame, in the end everything was his fault! Skipper let out a dejected sigh. As soon as Marlene awoke, he would stay away from her. It was better that way; not only for him, but for her safety and the team's. He just couldn't risk it again.

Skipper turned towards the otter again, and took a deep breath. "**MARLENE!**" he yelled in the otter's ears. Marlene's eyes instantly opened in alarm, and she let out a bloodcurdling scream.

"At ease Marlene!" Skipper shook her awake, ears ringing.

"Wha?" Marlene looked around, and tried to summon up memories. She blinked and her heart thumped loudly in her chest as she realized how close Skipper's face was to hers. "Skipper" she beamed, while her thoughts dwelled on the situation. _What happened?_ She wondered while sheepishly smiling at the penguin, but she couldn't concentrate on the memories, she couldn't concentrate on anything save for the warm tingles that filled her limbs, and Skipper's charming smile inches from her lips, -_wait… that's not a smile... _

"Marlene, would you please let go of me?" answered Skipper in an irritated manner.

Marlene's blissful feeling abruptly ended when she heard the frustration in his tone. He looked annoyed, and his ice-blue eyes seemed to be concentrating on something below. Her own eyes followed his gaze, until they dropped to her arms, and widened into the size of saucers when she finally grasped the situation.

Her face heated up, and she tried to hide her embarrassment as she released her grip. "Sorry" she mumbled cheeks burning, but Skipper didn't seem to hear her.

"We have to find a way to escape these cages" he began,

"Skipper!" shouted Kowalski overjoyed that he had finally awakened his friend.

Skipper spun around in surprise, _so I really __**DID**__ hear Kowalski_.. "Kowalski!" the leader beamed, "**SWEET HALIBUT! **You survived!"

"Fortunately; Private and Rico did too," replied the tall penguin in a cage across from Skipper's.

Skipper grinned, "El excelelante. Status Report!"

"Private is currently unconscious, and Rico knocked himself out cold."

"And the enemy?"

"Currently unidentified"

Marlene's ears perked up, "Wait! Skipper, I know who the-"but Skipper ignored her with a smirk.

"Yes, of course Marlene whatever you say..." he retorted sarcastically.

"Skipper, I'm trying to tell you something!" seethed the otter in anger.

"And whatever it is I'm sure it can wait until we've escaped" Skipper replied smugly.

Kowalski sighed as he watched the two, _and to think they were practically cuddling a few minutes ago…_

_-------------------------------------------------------_

Marlene wanted to bash her fists against her cage, and scream in frustration. _Why won't he ever listen to me?_! _He never listens to my ideas!_ Gradually her fury melted leaving sorrow in its place. She blinked the tears from her eyes; _how could he be like this?_ Marlene's head drooped in confusion. She thought he liked her; that maybe he returned her feelings. Now she wasn't so sure. _But those had been his flippers wound around her waist, and he had been- __**NO! **_Marlene shouted to herself; _it was nothing, it was just your imagination. You wanted him to like you._

The otter gazed at Skipper; her eyes brimming with tears. Through her blurry vision she could scarcely make out his shape speaking to Kowalski. _So what if he doesn't like me…it's not like I care._ Her heart sunk and her chest heaved with pain at her lie. She knew by now that she was utterly in love with him, and there was nothing she could do but grit and grin.

She turned her head and heart away from Skipper and watched Kowalski. The taller penguin seemed to be returning her gaze, trying to read the waves of emotion in her eyes. _Did he know? _Was that sympathy reflected in his eyes? Would he try to help her? _No, Kowalski was never good with love…_

Marlene then glanced at Private who was still collapsed upon the floor. Private might have been the youngest, but he was the one who understood emotions the best. If only he was awake, maybe he could give her advice? She shrugged the thought away; did she really need his help?

And then a funny thought wafted through her mind, _what if I was in love with Private? Surely he would be kind and respectful, and sweet to me. He'd understand my feelings and try to comfort me. Even Kowalski would respect my ideas and opinions. Heck, I bet Rico would puke up flowers for me! _She shuddered at that last thought. Still, it was the thought that counts, right? _So why did I fall for the hardest of them all?_ Her eyes blinked back to Skipper who was busy discussing plans of escape with Kowalski. Why did she love him? He had a heart of stone, dried up like a piece of flint. So why did she try time and time again to believe he had stronger feelings for her?

Marlene felt as if she'd been playing some sort of sick game. She'd moved her game piece forward on the board, hoping that maybe, just maybe her opponent wouldn't demolish her. The otter sighed with remorse, a lump materializing in her throat; _Skipper doesn't love me._

Had he even entered the sewers to rescue her? Why had she assumed so quickly that he had come just for her? Maybe Private fell in, or they were just doing recon when they were captured. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she quickly wiped them away before anyone noticed. _What if he'd had no idea I was down here?_ Pain swept briefly through her chest but determination ran clearly through her mind; _He doesn't care more for me than he does for Julien. To him I'm just a lower mammal_. It all made perfect sense; how he always ignored her ideas, and how he was always acting superior to her. _If that's the way he wants it_, she sighed, _then I'm done playing this game._

_-------------------------------------------------------_

After Rico had awakened followed by Private Skipper had completely returned to his old self. The vulnerability he'd felt before had vanished, and was replaced with the usual sensation of control. It felt good to have his men back with him. He was the leader again, with his team ready beside him, and the thought comforted the penguin as he conversed with Kowalski about escape plans.

But something bugged Skipper; it tickled his insides, and itched at his mind. What could be wrong? _Rico and Private are awake_… then out of the corner of his eye he spotted Marlene. She hadn't spoken once since their little argument, and he couldn't help but feel concerned for her. The otter's back was faced away from him, but he didn't need her expression to realize she was upset. Rage seemed to radiate off her skin, along with a tantalizing fragrance he recognized... _**FOCUS SKIPPER!**_The penguin shook his head roughly, and returned his attention to the matter at hand. Kowalski's beak moved, and words spilled out of the intellectual's mouth, but Skipper's ears only seemed to comprehend a jumbled mess of sounds. "Err… could you repeat that Kowalski?"

Kowalski stared at his leader in disbelief. _I just explained to him the complete list of unfeasible strategies, and he didn't hear a word I said? Skipper always pays attention... I wonder..._ his eyes flickered to Marlene, who was standing in the corner of her cage with a torn expression. _Is she upset?_ He noticed Skipper's eyes were also focused on the otter. Gradually Kowalski cleared his throat and Skipper snapped back to attention. The taller penguin raised his eyebrows as his gaze seemed to bore into the penguin in front of him. _Skipper..._ his eyes seem to say, _what's going on between you and Marlene?_

The leader answered Kowalski's skeptic expression with a glare, and the taller penguin sighed in desperation as he began to repeat his list.

-------------------------------------------------------

Private still felt a little sick when he awoke. He clutched his stomach as he sat up and looked around. _Oh, dear... what happened?_ He remembered hiccups and then Kowalski staring at something.. and _OH MY! SKIPAH AND MARLENE! _His eyes searched his surroundings until they gradually landed on Marlene's figure. She wasn't with Skipper anymore; and Private sighed with relief. _Maybe it was all some wacky dream? But I don't remember having any sugar… _he glanced at the otter again, and it finally registered to him that she was upset. Her face seemed to be tilted towards the ground in obscurity, and her gloomy eyes were red and irritated. Had Marlene been crying? He did notice streaks on her cheeks; where the fur seemed to be matted and moist around the area, and slightly darker colored than the rest of her face. Could the streaks possibly be leftover marks from tears? _Does Skipah know?_

-------------------------------------------------------

"…the ground's too solid to penetrate," Kowalski read off of his notepad, " and weapons are inaccessible due to- **SKIPPER**!" he yelled his leader's name in exasperation when he realized his leader's eyes were on Marlene again. This was the** THIRD** time Skipper's gaze had floated towards the otter, along with his attention. _**FOR PARABOLA'S SAKE!**_ Kowalski wanted to slap his leader, but due to their separation he picked up an empty dart, removed its needle and through the object at him instead. It made contact with Skipper's head; immediately regaining his attention. "Thanks Kowalski, I needed that" admitted the shorter penguin. "You were saying?"

Kowalski decided to skip to the end. "Weapons are inaccessible due to Rico's current condition." He motioned behind him to where Rico sat with his beak and flippers wrapped in tape.

Skipper looked over Kowalski's shoulder, "I see…" he muttered.

"Skipah... couldn't Rico dispose of the weapons the **other **way?" piped Private,

Skipper felt his stomach churn and he almost gagged... "**KOWALSKI!**" he ordered.

The taller penguin, whose face had turned a shade of green, instantly understood Skipper's desire and proceeded to slap Private.

"**OW**… what did I say?" whined Private while rubbing his cheek.

Somewhere in the room Rico growled.

"Well," continued Skipper, "obviously that's not a risk we're willing to take."

Kowalski managed to choke out a response, "a-affirmative."

"Hmm…" Skipper rubbed under his beak in thought, "Kowalski; is it possible to Drill?"

The intellectual shook his head, "negative Skipper, I already told you the ground is too solid to tunnel through"

_Damn..why can't I remember that? _"Kowalski do we-"

"Well, well." A voice interrupted him, "looks like the wittle birdies have finally woken up."

Skipper recognized the mocking voice at once. "Would you look at that." He said smirking, "it's our friend the sewer rat."

Marlene's eyes widened at Skipper's tone. He was trying to disguise his terror, but his eyes were giving him away.

The rat seemed to materialize from the shadows. "Skipper. It's so nice to finally see you again." he sneered.

Skipper's smile vanished when he finally caught sight of the rat. He'd grown ten times bigger than the last time he saw him! Skipper's eyes traced along the rat's body with horror; the rat's muscles bulged from beneath his fur like dense boulders. And then Skipper's eyes landed on the rat's face.

"**GREAT MOTHER OF MERCURY**!" he heard Kowalski exclaim in shock.

Skipper shuddered. The rat's eyes had an eerie green sheen to them that had unquestionably not been there before.

The rat king noticed Skipper's eyes on him, and smirked. "You dig the new look?" he flexed his arms as if to verify his point; revealing even more muscles nestled beneath his grey fur.

"b-b-b" he heard Private stammer, "how is that even possible?"

Skipper turned to Kowalski, who had already whipped out his notepad. "It seems the rat's abnormal rise in physique was caused by a phenomenal increasing of chemicals with in his body."

"Chemicals?" Skipper asked with an arched eyebrow,

Kowalski's brow furrowed as he continued to sketch out the details onto the paper. "Yes, an increase of chemicals that can only be found in…"

"Found in?" Skipper prompted,

"Toxic waste" Kowalski finished with a proud smile.

* * *

_oohh... Toxic waste.. that can't be good... and eww... *cringes* **WHAT WAS PRIVATE THINKING????** O_O *gags* that would need a LOT of prune juice..._

_~poor Skipper and Marlene.. so misunderstood.. well u didn't think their love would be EASY did you? where's the fun in THAT? xD_

_~argg... i think i've got "Author's Paranoia" again -.-' i wasn't happy at all with this chappy.. but the more i worked on it the worse it got.. GAHHH....._

_~Coming up: the lemurs get into some mischeif.. (what else is new?) and.. oh what's this? 8o you'll find out.... soon... xD_

_~lets see what i have in me magic bag today.. *rummages around* i've got **WINKIES**! 8D review and win a winky courtesy of Private =3_


	14. Chapter 14

_Up on your screen! it's a bird! it's a plane, NO! IT'S *gasp* **AN ACTUAL UPDATE! 8O**_

_~see? see? no need to use force.. *cowers beneath table from angry gorillas, polarbears, and Hades* _

_i know you guys are probably getting tired of these pathetic apologies.. but once again i am SORRY for the unbearable wait. -,-' _

_~I know i said i was going to try to update before November.. but i had some last minute computer problems. *kicks windows vista* but it's finally up and sankyou guys so much for the reviews! 8D Really, those are what gave me the strength to get this chapter up! =D_

_~okayz. just so you guys know.. i've been trying to add some more descriptions to my writing, and i really hope i've achieved the poetic flair i was searching for in this chapter. To me it sounded good.. but i'm just the writer ^^'_

_~I've gotten a lot of inspiration lately, and i'm glad to say that my writer's block has been desintegrated! 8D Now the only thing separating me and this story is school and time._

_~Once again, thank you guys so much for the reviews! even you anonymous reviewers make me feel all fuzzy inside when you pop in and write a lil comment =^^= _

_~ DUN WORRY FELLOW REVIEWERS! i've kept the winkies safe and fresh in me portable fridge! 83_

_**-Private:** *sobs*_

_**-me:** -.- err... let me answer the reviews..._

_**-Ponytail30527:** oops! sorry ^^' i didn't know my aiming was that good! xD *hands you a winky on a soft cushion*_

_**-Knockknocktimerico:** and this was 110% percent worth the response. XD thank you for the review ^^ *gives u winky*_

_**-dragongirlj:** I'LL TRY to update more often -.o no promises though.. and thankz i didn't know self pity was considered cute (jk) but YUSH there is an action-packed chappy.. When will i write it you ask? the world may never know... *launches 'Winky bomb'*_

_**-inugomegirl:** i know... this is one of Skipper's usual 'jerk moments' they're just SO much fun to write )8D True.. he really CAN'T be described as a rat.. but the 'thing' sounds too 'Adam's Family' if u know what i mean *wink* lol.. wink, wink.. WINKY!! *sends winky*_

_**-JV's Jack:** LOL i cracked up when i read this.. STEROIDS! xD thanks for the review. *wipes tears from laughing, then hands u a winky*_

_**-Halfhuman123: ***sobbing* i'm SO sorry.. i was SO determined to update this before November... *sighs* will you settle for a winky? =3 *gives u winky*_

_**-Mattie Scary:** LMAO. i was gonna give u a winky for this awsome review.. but now might not be the time, cause you seem a lil nauseous.. i'll just leave it on the front porch. xD_

_**-Ghosteh:** GHOSTEH!! *dodges brick* dear GAWD! O,O s-sorry.. i h-h-have l-l-low self-esteem... XD *shakily hands u a winky* DUN THROW IT AT ME!! *runs*_

_**-Porsche101:** of course you get a free box! 8D *ignores Private's cries of anguish* i might be crazy... ,o but thanks so much for the reviews! yush i know.. WTH was going through that lil penguin's mind right? xD aww.. i hate making readers depressed D: i hope this chappy'll cheer you up.. i serously doubt it.. since-*GASP* i'm not gonna spoil it! xD_

_**-Smilesas:** first i have to say thank you so much for reviewing every chapter! =3 for that you deserve a box of winkies..please ignore Private's screams of pain.. but rly THANKYOU (repeat x 13) *huggles* ur an awsome reviewer.. =^^=_

_**-Mr. Average:** __thanks 8D i'm starting to feel a lil guilty for steal- i mean BORROWING Private's winkies... *5 mins later* Guilt gone! 8D here r ur winkies! _

_**-peaches2217:** yes.. chocolate IS one of the bestest flavors EVAR.. gawd.. i'm making so many people hate Skipper.. Dx lol poor Private.. i think i've ruined his reputation XD i'm such a bad person... ah well! *throws CHOCOLATE winkies*_

_**-AngelOli16: **AHHH! *still hiding from Gorillas and polarbears* c-could you tell ur friends t-to back off? =3 ohmy. another person who thinks Skipper's a jerk O,O aww.. i too wish i could glue 'em together forever.. but where would the fun be in that? XD haHA! the suspense thickens! xD well thank you so much for the amazing review.. and may i just say CONGRATS on ur second batb story! if there are any Batb fans reading this GO READ HER STORY, AND ITS PREQUEL NAO. (yes, i DO advertise for other stories ;D) *launches winkies at you* PREPARE FOR A BLAST OF PEANUTBUTTER LIKE NEVER BEFORE! XD *private's relentless sobbing is heard*_

_**-FlamethrowerElite: **lol thankyou, but i can't feel my legs from beneath this massive pile of cookies.. O.o For reviewing every chappy of my story, and for writing a heart-breaking batb story of awsomeness.. (yush i've read ur 12th chappy.. so batb fans should go read that too!)*showers you with winkies* i hope ur not allergic to peanutbutter..._

_**-Kowalskiluva11:** AND I L-O-V-E-D, LOVED THIS REVIEW! XD *sends winky*_

_**-Angela:** thanks ^^ i'll try to update more often.. *gives u winky*_

_**-the Morgenstern Loyalist: **AHHHHHH!!! I TRIED!!*hightails it to Mt. Olympus* ZEUS!!! HELP MEH!!! xD thanks for the review.. it made me smile and shiver with fear at the same time! 8D *sends winkies from Olympus*_

_**-kvzpenguin:** NUUU! i shall not let my biggest fan be eaten by curiousity! D8 LOL.. scroll down before you're devoured! but before u do that.. *sends massive truckload of winkies*_

_**-AmaraBellaGirl:** thank you! X3 your review is what really got me into gear.. i saw it and was like: "CRAP! i can't let them down!" xD *sends winkies*_

_~WHEW! *wipes sweat from brow* that's alot of winkies!_

_**Private:**_ _D8 NUUUU!!! MY WINKEHS!!!! *sobs*_

**_Me:_ **_*pats his back* dun worry Private.. sharing is good remember? =3_

_~Since it was ALSO halloween, i'm sending an extra truckload of sugar to every reviewer! 8D_

_[Resulting cavaties and/or tooth aches are not the responsability of this writer]_

_~ If any one was wondering... yes i've seen all the new PoM episodes including the halloween Special.. my comments for them are located on my profile ;3_

_~And now.. after being repeatedly threatened with greek gods and vicious animals.. i present to you:_

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen: The Ocean's Storm**

The word seemed to ricochet off the walls with such vitality that even Marlene's eyes widened from the shock. It caused the penguins' beaks to recoil in disgust as the several unforeseen syllables resonated in the air like a foul stench that just wouldn't fade away. Kowalski's feathered face tinted green when he finally registered what he'd just said, and the proud shimmer in his eyes abruptly vanished and was replaced by a look of sheer horror. _Toxic waste?_ Time seemed to stop as an uneasy silence sealed the room.

The rat broke the taciturn moment with a chuckle; "what's wrong Skipper? You seem surprised."

Marlene's eyes darted towards Skipper anxious to see his reaction, but the penguin didn't seem to be daunted by the rat's remark.

Instead, Skipper crossed his flippers over his chest and smirked; "I'm only surprised you didn't kill yourself."

The rat snarled for a moment at the penguin's clever retort, until his lips subsided in a sly grin. "You won't believe the nice stuff you can get from labs." The rat polished his claws on his cloak before finishing, "such generous people." His eyes flickered to the penguin's expression, greedily searching for a lapse in the shield.

But the penguin stood tall and solid, unshaken by the rat's remark. "Oh, I'm sure you were also **GIVEN **those tranquilizer darts, am I right?" Skipper's flippers stayed patiently crossed over his chest, as he played along with the Rat's game.

"Of course," smiled the Rat, "we wouldn't** DREAM** of inviting our friends to a party without party favors."

Private clapped his flippers together beaming, "oh jolly good! Skipah, you didn't tell us we were going to a party!"

Skipper ignored the young penguin and glared at the rat with an arched eyebrow. Blue eyes focused on vibrant green, as Skipper anxiously tried to detect the fiend's intentions. "What kind of party?" he asked slowly.

The rat's sinister smile widened, until his pointed teeth were illuminated by the faint light. As he'd anticipated, the penguin had fallen directly into his trap. "Oh, nothing special, only a **WEDDING** of some sort."

Marlene's stomach lurched as the rat's objective dawned on her. _Oh, please no... _She silently begged, and her discomfort seemed to spread throughout the room.

Nevertheless Skipper still hadn't fully comprehended what the rat was hinting at. "Who in their right mind would want to marry **you**?" he scoffed, clearly unfazed by the news.

The remains of the rat's whiskers twitched with excitement, "why don't you turn around and find out?"

Skipper didn't even need to turn around to realize what the rat meant. His entire body shuddered as the true meaning of the rat's words soaked in, striking his body like a sucker punch to the gut. An invisible force seemed to suck away the air in his lungs, as he staggered and tried to find his balance. "m-m-Marlene?" he choked out in such a frail voice, that Marlene found herself shuddering with nausea.

In a matter of seconds, every head in the room was turned towards the otter. She shuddered, as the penguins' eyes focused on her, their expressions ranging from shock to despair. It was as if they couldn't recognize her, as if all those memories of their friendships had vanished into thin air. Her old friends were no longer there; their bodies were irrelevant, nonexistent, compared to their eyes. Glistening blue orbs traced her every move, practically shimmering with curiosity; just waiting for her to do something.

Marlene backed up against the far wall of her cage, desperately trying to escape their gazes. _Why couldn't I have been born invisible?_ She asked herself; the female could nearly feel a spotlight shining on her body, exposing every hair of her brown coat to an audience. Everywhere Marlene turned, she saw pairs of expectant eyes staring at her as if she was a monster.

"I didn't-" she tried to explain, and then the last pair of eyes locked into her gaze. Marlene stifled a gasp as the pained azure eyes bore into her heart.

For a brief moment Marlene finally saw the hurt churning within him. His eyes reflected a turbulent ocean; thunderous waves of emotion building up towards the sky, and crashing back down into the depths of water with despair. Vigorous foam unfurled from the crests of waves, frothy and alive, as it reached out towards her legs. Marlene could taste the salt on her lips as the wave's tendrils twisted around her body like vines and tugged her towards the lapping waters. She felt briny water flooding her throat and stinging her eyes, as her head was yanked below the surface. But Marlene never struggled against the water. She wanted to be pulled deeper and deeper into the blue. She desired the salt in her eyes. The violent waves were like bliss, cradling her like a child in their arms. Marlene gasped wretchedly at her sick desires; she was drowning in the ocean, _in_ _Skipper's eyes…_

She blinked, and the ocean vanished, along with any trace of emotion. Only two empty blue orbs remained, and for some reason they left an uneasy feeling in her stomach, and a bad taste in her mouth.

-------------------------------------------------------

Kowalski's stomach twisted at the sight of his leader's vulnerability. Over the past few months he'd speculated about the leader's feelings for the otter… but he never knew how much the female really meant to him. Skipper looked as if he'd had the air knocked out of him!

Skipper was physically stumbling, trying to regain his balance, as his fellow team mates gazed at him with concern.

Kowalski winced. Words could not accurately describe the emotions he saw flickering through his friend's body. Jealousy radiated from Skipper's feathers, and agony seemed to burn in frolicsome flames behind his eyes.

Kowalski turned to face the source of Skipper's dilemma; Marlene. He studied her for a few moments, when suddenly an epiphany struck him:

_She's Skipper's weakness;_ Kowalski realized in shock, _his **Achilles' heel!** _

She had more power over that one penguin than everyone in the room had combined. The question was, _does she know?_

The intellectual knew undoubtedly that the otter didn't possess feelings for the rat, but he realized with cold dread what the rat was planning. The fiend was using Marlene to get to Skipper. He was playing with Skipper's emotions, and Marlene couldn't do a thing about it. She was simply a pawn in the rat's game of chess. _Poor Innocent Marlene_, he pitied her. She'd be the reason for Skipper's demise and she didn't even know it.

-------------------------------------------------------

The rat stepped closer to the cage; closing the distance between him and his prey. "She'll make a lovely bride, don't you think?" His voice vibrated around the room. The question was really directed towards the lead penguin, but Skipper never responded.

"Too bad you penguins will be too busy to attend the wedding" the rat continued, "**unless**..."

That captured Skipper's attention, along with the other penguins, and they turned to glare at the enemy.

The rat was clearly enjoying himself; letting the suspense sizzle. But finally he grew tired of his little game and finished his sentence; "unless someone battles me and wins."

Dread flickered across the penguins' features, and finally Skipper spoke up, the sarcasm drained from his voice. "When do we fight?"

Kowalski's body froze; _Skipper is going to fight the rat? In his current emotional state, there's not even a five percent chance that he'll survive! _He turned to face Marlene again. Judging from the mask of dread and shock plastered on her face, she must have known it too.

"First thing tomorrow morning," smiled the Rat, "I'll give you tonight to build up your strength." and with that, he motioned towards a few rats, who lifted Marlene's cage and removed her from the room.

Then the king of Rats left, chuckling something under his breath, "that is, if you even have any strength left."

-------------------------------------------------------

_Meanwhile..Somewhere in the Zoo.._

"Ow! Maurice, my royal head is throbbing!" Julien complained, while rubbing his precious scalp.

Maurice, painfully trying to stand, turned to glare at the king. "**WELL WHY DO YOU THINK IT DOES???**" he shouted.

Julien didn't seem to detect his advisor's rage. "Maurice," he lectured, "it doesn't matter WHY it hurts, it just does. Royalty, such as me, doesn't **have** to have a reason."

Maurice was about to slap Julien, when he realized something. "Wait, where's Mort?"

"Mort?" the lemur king repeated, "what's a Mort?"

"I'm here" a little voice squeaked from beneath the royal lemur.

"who said dat?" asked Julien.

"I did" the squeaky voice responded again.

Julien turned his head to the left, then the right, but he didn't see anyone except for Maurice.

"Uhh.. mysterious voice," ventured Julien, "where are you?"

"I'm under here" it replied once more.

Julien traced the sound until he was staring over his shoulder at his rear.

"Maurice," Julien whispered, eyes wide as saucers; "**MY BOOTY IS SPEAKING!**"

Maurice slapped his forehead; "no, your majesty, stand up."

"**Shushies!**" Julien hushed his advisor, "Can't you see the royal booty is trying to speak to me?"

Maurice slapped his forehead again; _This lemur is REALLY starting to be a royal pain in the- _But then a wicked thought crossed his mind and he smiled. "**KING JULIEN!**" he shouted with false terror, "**THERE'S A SPIDER RIGHT NEXT TO YOU!**"

The king of lemurs jumped up, and began running in circles screaming like a girl, his green cape trailing behind him in a comical way. "**SPIDERRR!!!**" he shrieked, "**MAURICE KILL IT!!!**" But Maurice was gazing at the ground where previously, the shrieking lemur's butt had sat.

An out of breath Julien approached Maurice's side, "Did… you.. get.. it.." he panted. And then he saw what Maurice was pointing at. Mort was flattened against the ground, smiling back at them.

"h-h-hello" the mouse lemur managed, before Maurice peeled him off the ground.

"Mort you silly thing." frowned Julien, "now is not de time to be a pancake!"

"I **LIKE **pancakes" giggled the mouse lemur…

Julien continued, "No, now is de time to find others to help de royal me save de pesky penguins!"

Maurice slapped his forehead so hard that it left a red spot. "For the last time." He seethed, "**NO ONE WANTS TO HELP US!!! JOEY KICKED US OUT, BADA AND BING BOUNCED US**…"

Unfortunately Julien thought otherwise. "Of course they want to help us silly Maurice. Who wouldn't want to do a favor for de royal king?"

"Gee... I don't know, maybe… **JOEY AND BADA AND BING AND PINKY AND-**"

But the king of lemurs had covered Maurice's mouth. "**Shoosh!!**" He whispered, "Do not bring up Pinky again." He cringed... "I will never look at de color pink de same way again."

All three lemurs let out a chorus of shudders.

"Who knew Pinky was actually a **girl**..."

* * *

_Just so you guys know.. i really don't know Pinky's gender.. so in this story she will remain a **girl**! (she's the flamingo from the series)_

_ I'll just leave the scenario of what happened between Julien and Pinky to your sick minds.. XD remember.. this is rated **'T' ***winkwinkwink*_

_~Remember when i made you think Skipper was a **JERK**? *evil laugh* that's what i do, i take your emotions and twist 'em into a lil ball and then i- *cough* well you get the point ^^'_

_~I hope the descriptions were to your satisfactory.. i was especially proud of the "ocean" description.. who knew Skipper had so many intense emotions hidden inside of him? (btw.. that's where the title of this chappy comes from.. 'Ocean's Storm')_

_~and yes, Julien has a fear of spiders. come on, it's not THAT surprising right? xD_

_~ooohh.. the rat wants revenge? this should be good.. and poor Marlene! she must be feeling SO guilty.. _

_~Coming up: What will the lemurs do? What will Skipper do? What will Marlene do? maybe Skipper will experience some *cough* **JEALOUSY..**_

_~ alrighty.. for anyone who will review.. you'll win.. *drumroll* a **BUTTERSCOTCH LOLLY!**_

_**Private:** *faints*_

_**me:** i know what ur thinking.. 'why r u torturing Private?' well, it's fun, and he has an AWSOME candy stash! 8D but dun worry.. he'll Live.. at least i THINK he will.._

_**Private:** *in a different room, sharpening an axe* oh we'll see who lives.. *evil laugh* **REVENGE!!**_

_**me:** OO' ookay, on that disturbing note.. bye!_


	15. Chapter 15

_FDLKBRG. Again, i'm very sorry for the wait. i've been a little distracted with snow over winter break xD (hey, we only got **one** snow storm so far ya know? gotta make it count for something ;D)_

_~before i forget: *Merry Late Christmas, Happy Extremely late Hannukah, and Happy Holidays!* XD *hugs you all* spread the love._

_~I'm not going to take the time to answer reviews right now because well, that would take a **very** long time. But thank you all for the marvelous reviews! Here i am one day sitting at my computer screen wondering if i should work on this story (writing-block during break. go figure.) and i get 3 random reviews that convince me to write something that day 8D So i did, and here it is. But i must warn you that the next couple of chapters will be a little more "Lemur-oriented" i've got to get those guys up to speed xD That doesn't mean that i won't write any Penguin or Skilene moments.. ( of course i will! xD)_

_Alright. i know it's a little short, but my goal is to get out another chapter before break ends on the 3rd, so go easy on me ^^'_

_Lastly, i shower all teh awesome reviewers with Butterscotch Lollies. Thank you for Inspiration, Motivation, and Perspiration! (jk)_

**

* * *

Chapter Fifteen: The Lemurs' Quest**

"Ok. So you're saying that no one wants to help de royal me?" asked Julien.

_FINALLY! We're actually getting somewhere!_ "yep," Answered Maurice.

"THAT'S RIDICULOUS!" Julien sprang up, "EVERYBODY LOVES ME!"

And while the king of lemurs argued with his advisor, Mort was sitting on the ground thinking of a plan. He scrunched his eyes closed and VERY slowly, the gears in his tiny brain began to turn... "**IDEA!**" he happily shouted, and thus gained the attention of both Julien and Maurice.

"Mort." Began Julien calmly, "how many times have I told you not to interrupt de royal king when I am argu-"

Unfortunately Mort wasn't listening. "the penguins have useful stuff in their home!" he announced, "maybe we can use it?"

"Mort I don't think that's such a good idea," replied Maurice, "the penguins have a whole lotta booby traps set up-"

But Julien interrupted him before he could finish. "**MORT!** Dat's de single most greatest of ideas you've ever had! In fact, it's de only good idea you've ever had!"

Mort smiled with content, "tankyou."

"but King Julien, the traps-"

"Enough Maurice!" Julien yelled, "we're going to de penguin's home to watch de TV-err..I mean to get stuff!"

And with that the lemurs headed towards the penguin habitat.

* * *

_Meanwhile, Somewhere in the Sewers.._

The stout penguin stood frozen in his cage. His eyes consisted of a disturbing vacancy, hollowed out as if someone had emptied the penguin of his life. Besides his haunted eyes, his features lay paralyzed in silent grief and the only remarkable sound that could be heard was his heart beating steadily against his petrified chest. Shadows veiled almost his entire body save for his feathery face which appeared paler than usual, and his blank expression, which gave him a nearly ghostly appearance.

_Poor Skipah_, thought Private sadly. The leader had remained in his stationary position ever since the rats had carried Marlene's cage out of the room. Private had a small hunch that Skipper cared about the otter more than what he exhibited, and therefore he knew of the calamity his leader was going through.

As if on cue Skipper let out a sad sigh from within his cage. Instantly pity for the pained penguin seized Private's affectionate heart and all of a sudden the young penguin had the urge to hug Skipper. _All he needs is a hug_, the child thought happily, _hugs can cure anything. _

But to Private's dismay, he couldn't hug Skipper because they were in separate cages. So as an alternative, he turned around and hugged the closest living individual near him; Kowalski.

Kowalski froze in alarm as the younger penguin's flippers wrapped themselves tightly around his body. "err.. Private, this seems a little uncalled for.." he managed to murmur.

Private's flippers flopped back to his side dejectedly, "sorry K'wolski" he mumbled, and then turned to gesture towards their crestfallen leader. "I think Skipah needs a hug."

Kowalski sighed, and shook his head softly, "No Private," he spoke, "what he requires is much more than a hug."

* * *

…"_**Skipper**__!" she yelled in fear, "go away!" she desperately tried to scream, but her throat had closed up, and all she managed to do was let out a squeak…_

Marlene yelped in surprise at the illustration on the wall outside of her cage. _It's so familiar…_

The otter's eyes remained glued to the wall, as her body convulsed with cold fear. The wall was like a screen, the scene projected on its surface as if it were a movie…

…_Skipper continued to the fight the beast, obviously losing. Once again his body made impact with the wall, and the monster laughed at the penguin's futile efforts…_

It was so clear! _So **real…**_ Her arms clutched her body as she shivered from an invisible draft. Even the frail whiskers on her furred face seemed to tremble with dread. But the image refused to leave the walls…

_I'm losing my mind_, she thought mirthlessly. Every time her gaze met the wall the nightmare seemed to return with full vigor. Marlene refused to endure another vision of the terrifying scene, so she forced her eyes to fixate on her cage's ceiling.

Unfortunately, another equally familiar image began to paint itself across her vision, as if the ceiling was simply a blank canvas waiting for the arrival of the atrocious paint.

In this manner Marlene's subconscious spilled out before her in a splash of iridescent color. She watched horrified as the merciless artist within her own cranium began to weave its scene.

It was Skipper again, but staring at her… _his eyes so empty and vacant_… the otter blinked, but the image never wavered. It was the scene from earlier that day, and something was absent in the haunted gleam of his eyes…

She shuddered as another reminder of what had occurred chilled her to the bone. _Skipper's going to fight the rat._ She repeated it again and again in her mind, refusing to invoke any resulting scenario she could think of. She had to accept it.

… _the monster bit its teeth into the penguin, and threw its body against the wall. Ripe blood was now oozing quickly from Skipper's wounds, but he still managed to sit up, his flipper covering the open gash in his chest. Skipper was now gasping, and hunched over in a pool of his own blood; his beak split open and eyes locked with Marlene's, desperately trying to communicate to her his last words…_

The otter held her head dejectedly in her paws as she fought the images from her mind. But they only came back with force akin to an express train. The express train must have taken a detour over her head, because it started to throb like her heartbeat itself, and she began to recognize the signs of a headache near the center of her forehead.

At last she collapsed to her knees in the cage, and the tears in her eyes flowed freely down her cheeks.

"I don't understand…"she murmured to the darkness.

* * *

_In the Meantime.._

"Kings first!" cried Julien excitedly; The empty bowl of sardines parted to reveal the secret entrance to the HQ which he promptly jumped through.

Mort imitated the king's actions, but Maurice slid cautiously down the ladder. The last time they'd visited the HQ when it'd been empty, they'd been bombarded by booby traps.

"Hurry up Maurice!" shouted the ring tailed lemur from inside the HQ, "de royal king does not have all day!"

After what seemed like a lifetime, the advisor's feet finally made contact with the cold floor of the penguins' HQ.

"well it is about de time!" muttered Julien exasperatedly, "Maurice, you are such de slow-pokey!"

Maurice cracked one eye open slowly, to discover a very bored King Julien standing in front of him with paws on his hips.

But Maurice paid no attention; his focus was on the HQ. It'd been a week or so since they had visited it last but it still looked the same as before. On one side there resided a table and makeshift chairs made out of cinderblocks, while on the other side was a door that served as an entrance to the sewers. In the far end of the room stood Kowalski's lab, decorated with numerous test-tubes filled with a variety of colored liquids, which were most likely harmful to their health.

Maurice sighed as he stepped forward and blinked; the place felt so empty and eerie without the penguins. So why hadn't he noticed before? He supposed it was because he was too focused on Julien's needs maybe… That, and the fact that he didn't exactly object to getting free food. That aside, he suddenly became overwhelmed with the feeling of guilt.

Julien, though, sighed exasperatedly before turning around and heading towards the large television screen. Maurice thought he heard the king mumble something, but dismissed it when Julien began bowing in front of the TV.

"OH MIGHTY BOX FROM THE SKY SPIRITS!" Julien exclaimed on his knees, arms waving in the air. "YOUR KING HAS COME TO RESCUE YOU FROM DE PESKY PENGUINS!" the king of lemurs waited a second for the screen to flick on before he began again.

"**GREAT BOX!** YOU MUST TURN ON FOR US TO RESCUE YOU!" he praised, and added a few more bows in for good measure.

After the King re-phrased his speech for the third time, his patients was running short. "**WHY WON'T YOU TURN ON FOR YOUR KING???**" he shouted to the irritatingly blank screen.

"what??" Julien stood back from the TV appalled from its lack of 'response', "OH, I'M NOT **ATTRACTIVE **ENOUGH TO TURN YOU ON?? YOU ARE WRONG! I AM DE DEVILISHLY HANDSOME LEMUR KING!"

Mort stifled a snicker, and Maurice slapped his forehead.

Julien huffed with fury, his yellow eyes growing so wide that Maurice could nearly see tiny flames flickering within the king's pupils. "NO ONE INSULTS DE KING!" yelled the ring-tailed lemur in an intimidating voice, "**PREPARE TO SUFFER!!**" Julien raised his leg up threateningly..

"wait- **NO!** your majesty," yelled Maurice with realization of what was about to happen, "**DON'T TOUCH IT!**"

But King Julien's leg came swinging down and with a loud _FWAP_! Made contact with the TV right below the screen.

Maurice's eyes squeezed shut and by instinct he crouched low underneath the penguins' table as he waited for the booby traps and pain to begin. Surprisingly, all he could hear was Mort's high pitched angst-stricken screams; "DE FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETT!!"

The advisor opened both his eyes, and crawled out of his feeble crouching position. _That's strange,_ he thought…

Julien, who had been hopping around on one leg clutching his throbbing foot and wailing that the box had "cursed" him, was now whooping with victory because by coincidence he'd kicked the "on" button of the TV.

As images flashed across the screen, Julien promptly sat down and let the animations numb his mind.

But Maurice was still alarmed about the absence of pain and suffering going on. _Where are all the booby traps?_ He wondered warily_… the penguins always have booby traps... what's going on? _Even though Julien had dropped any act of being on guard (and was now slouching in front of the TV screen sipping from a "borrowed" juice box), Maurice remained alert. The situation was highly suspicious.

Julien interrupted his advisor's thoughts as he flicked impatiently through different action channels and soap operas. Finally he reached a channel that was "worthy of being watched by the king" as he phrased it to Mort (who had found the remote and happily given it to his king).

Before long a blood curdling song began to fill the HQ. "**YOU'VE GOT THE BEEEEEEEEST OF BOTH WORLDS!!!**"

Maurice covered his ears to muffle out the horrible noise. "your highness!" he shouted over the screeching sound, "COULD YOU POSSIBLY TURN IT DOWN?"

"WHAT'S THAT?" replied Julien, oblivious to the ear-splitting screeches, "YOU'RE ASKING ME TO TURN IT **UP?** OK!" and he proceeded to bring the volume up to its maximum.

"WHAT- **NO!!!** TURN IT **DOWN!!**" shouted the advisor, now literally being blown away by the awful sound.

"**Maurice!**" Julien shouted back frustrated, "no one tells de king what to do. Besides, my royal ears can hardly make out what it is that you are saying." Finally the king reached over and turned the volume down. "Now what is it that your annoying mouth is trying to say?"

"I think we should stop wasting time, and begin searching for things we can use to rescue the penguins." His advisor replied, his ears still ringing.

"But doesn't Chico always carry the weapon-like stuffs in his tummy?" Julien inquired.

"His name's **Rico**." Sighed Maurice, "and yes, but I have a feeling the penguins must keep an emergency hoard of weapons somewhere in the HQ ya know?"

In the meantime Mort had located Rico's secret stash of beans. "**BEEEEEEEEENS!!!**" he squealed with delight before pouncing and beginning to salivate on one of the silver cans.

"fine. Maurice." Replied Julien annoyed, "we'll do de boring stuff dat you want to do to save de pesky penguins." He waved his arms in a mocking manner as he pronounced "penguins".

"Alright then." Grinned Maurice, glad that he was taking charge for once, "Mort," he addressed the tiny lemur stuck in a can of beans, "why don't you look around the bunks?"

"Good idea," beamed Julien, "and I de royal king shall raid de fridge! Er.. I mean **search** de fridge!"

Maurice ignored the king's reply, as he himself began to sort through Kowalski's lab.

Soon the three lemurs were sifting through all of the penguins' items on a quest to find things they could use as weapons.

Julien cried out in anguish when he discovered that the fridge was only stocked with "**DE FISHY SMELLING FISH!**" he pinched his nose with distaste, "what does a king have to do to get de decent foods around here?"

While the king wailed, Maurice was searching for loose bricks in the walls and trap doors when his eyes landed on something that didn't belong. Sitting on one of the cinderblocks used for chairs was a ripe yellow banana.

"Huh? What's this doing here?" he exclaimed out loud.

"**What's** doing **where?**" Julien asked as he strolled over to where Maurice was standing sipping his juice box, "and why doesn't de Royal King know about it?"

* * *

_So that must be the most of Julien i've written so far.. i hope i got his character correct. Selfish, Oblivious, funny, etc.._

_Maurice was surprisingly fun to write about 8D_

_~As for what's going on in the Sewers well... Skipper's in a bit of a shock per se. and Marlene.. well she's err.. relfecting on what's going on. but don't worry they'll be some marlene action coming up... *HINTHINTHINT*_

_~lol will the lemurs find anything? what's up with the lack of booby traps? What's up with Skipper and Marlene? action coming soon? i think so._

_~before i leave.. i'm sorry if i offended any Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montanna fans out there.. it was the only song i could think of at the time ^^"_

_~ Please review! It's what keeps me going as you can see.. =D *hugs all current Reviewers*_


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